


Kitten

by junphiles



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Boyfriends, Cats, Coming of Age, Crack and Angst, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Cussing, Family Drama, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gay, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Han Jisung | Han-centric, Hidden Depths, M/M, Mentioned Elizabeth the 3rd (Mystic Messenger), Mentioned Stray Kids Ensemble, Minor Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Rich Han Jisung | Han, Switching, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 59
Words: 116,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28905708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junphiles/pseuds/junphiles
Summary: "Pet me.""You're not my cat.". . . .Han Jisung hates cats in general. Lee Minho owns three cats. What would happen if Jisung is forced to like cats, whereas Minho happens to find himself another cat?
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jumin/Original Female Character(s), Han Jumin/V | Kim Jihyun, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm bad at description, I know :")

"We all gather here to celebrate Fox Army third monthiversary. I, Kim Seungmin, as the founder and manager of Fox Army would like to say thank you for everyone in the building, especially our beloved Yang Jeongin who has touched many hearts with his unconditional cuteness. I hope that Fox Army will continue to rise and become the greatest force against the apocalypse. Thank you for your attention." Seungmin ended his speech then walked himself to Hyunjin's seat. This is not Attack on Titan, but true, the world without Jeongin and his fandom is the apocalypse.

Loud claps erupted throughout the classroom. That day, many tears has fallen down due to eternal bliss. Students from different grades, including several teachers gathered in Jeongin's class to celebrate the three months celebration ceremony. Jisung and Felix were already crying their hearts off from the back of the class.

"That's our founder and manager, Kim Seungmin everybody," Woojin announced and took a glance towards the two crying babies at the back. "Jisung and Felix! Mind to pour your hearts out?"

Jisung stood up from his seat and snatched Woojin's microphone. "Thanks, Hyung. Actually I'm very happy for our Jeongin." He wiped his tears. "Jeongin, you proved us that humanity has hope. Please don't ever grow up. We love you." He returned the microphone to Woojin and hugged Jeongin. The ceremony continued to for another 15 minutes until Jeongin decided to officially dismissed the ceremony.

School hours have ended hours ago. The only thing that prevent Jisung from going home was his love and dedication towards Jeongin. It's reasonable since almost every students joins the fandom.

With stray tears left to dry, Jisung dialed his personal driver to pick him up. Yes, he's that rich. His father is the heir of C&R International company, leading every South Korea's famous company. The name Jumin Han is always spotted in rich people magazines or newspapers.

Jisung waited patiently outside the school building. The sun radiated enough warmth for Jisung to delight in. That's when a sudden wet, sweaty hand landed on Jisung's shoulder, much to his surprise.

"How can I help you?"

The guy let out several heavy breathings. "Are you Han Jisung?"

Jisung winced his eyebrows. "Yes. Who are you and why are you looking for me?" Jisung didn't mean to be rude but it's hard to act normal in front of a handsome sweating guy whom he just met.

The guy took his sign. "I'm Lee Minho, from the same club that Felix attends." He handed Jisung a notebook, his notebook. "Felix told me to give this to you. I believe this is yours."

"He could've called me."

Minho just shrugged. Before he could speak another word, a loud horn was heard and a man in suit came out of nowhere.

"Mr. Han, sorry for the long wait." Minho looked at the man in curiosity as he took Jisung's bag and opened the door for Jisung to enter. Seconds later, the car has vanished from Minho's sight. To be honest, Jisung wanted to say goodbye but he was flustered for some reasons.

Meanwhile in the fancy car, Jisung stayed quiet, with the notebook gripped tightly on his hands.

"New boyfriend?" Mr. Cha (the driver) broke the silence.

The word 'boyfriend' caught Jisung off guard. "N-no! It's just a... uhm random guy." He mentally cursed himself for stuttering.

"Well, it's not random if you're this flustered." Mr. Cha smirked. "It's okay to tell me. I've been hearing you rambling about hot guys for 9 years. It won't be too surprising if he's your boyfriend."

"Okay, I'm gay. I'm not lying when I said that he's a stranger, I barely know him. You know it's hard to maintain normal when you've just witnessed a sex god sweating like a madman."

"I know very well." Mr. Cha nodded. "I happen to be gay too. I must admit, that guy is hot, but not hotter than my boyfriend."

Jisung sit in awe. "You have a boyfriend? Why didn't you say it earlier?"

"I want to, but I'm afraid that you'll get jealous." That's it, Jisung's out of words.

The ride to Jisung's mansion was no longer silent due to Mr. Cha's storytelling. He kept rambling about his love life and his coming out story. Jisung listened to each words. It's a rare experience to have Mr. Cha be this open towards a high school kid.

Turns out that Jisung's the one who made his own driver gay. Jisung's habit of talking about hot guys made Mr. Cha often think about his own sexuality. Thanks to Jisung, he managed to came out of the closet as a confident gay. Gayer than Jisung.

When they have arrived at Jisung's mansion, Mr. Cha opened the door for Jisung as he entered the big ass mansion. Maids scattering everywhere, looking rather too busy to notice Jisung's entrance.

A fur ball suddenly crashed onto his foot, letting out a cute meow. Jisung sighed, knowing that his father has arrived home earlier than usual. He went to his bedroom on the second floor to sleep, not caring about the underworld.

His door clicked open as Jisung's father entered his bedroom with his poor assistant. Jisung wanted to protest but decided not to because he's too lazy.

"Jisung, I know you're not asleep." Jisung shot his eyes open upon hearing his father's deep, monotonous voice.

"What is it now?"

"To your satisfaction, I'm going on a business trip for two or three months with Assistant Kang." Jisung couldn't hold his smile. "Unfortunately you have to take care of Elizabeth the 3rd (his cat) since I won't be able to spend quality time with her due to my hectic schedule."

Jisung's smile fell upon hearing his father's statement. "Fuck no, I'm not gonna spend my 'no father' holiday with that fucking needy fur ball. I'd rather spend my days with hot dudes surrounded with pizzas."

"Commoner food... it must be high in cholesterol." Jumin checked his Rolex. "I'll be leaving in five minutes. Assistant Kang will give you Elizabeth the 3rd's eating, sleeping, playing, and bathing schedule."

Assistant Kang handed him the Elizabeth the 3rd Bible which made Jisung cringed in response. "I said I'm not gonna take care of that fur ball. You know I hate cats."

"Do not belittle Elizabeth the 3rd's persona. She's the most beautiful creature on earth, even you can't degrade her. I can hire another assistant for your company. I don't trust you enough."

Jisung sighed knowing his fate. "Can Mr. Cha be my personal assistant?"

"Of course, I can adjust his schedule and wages." At least Jisung still have Mr. Cha on his side as his gay companion. "I don't have much time to spare. I should go provide Elizabeth the 3rd her meal before leaving."

The moment Jumin left Jisung's bedroom, Jisung immediately dialed Felix. As expected, Felix picked up the phone faster than Usain Bolt.

"G'day, you fucktard. Who's the fucking fucker I should kill this friggity fucking time?" Felix's usual greeting put a smile on Jisung's face.

"It's you, dickhead. What's with the hot dude? You got connections, huh?"

Felix's fanboy mode is on. "Is this hot dude happens to be Lee Minho? Don't lie, my freckles can smell bullshit."

Jisung has been exposed. "Bitch, you planned the whole thing, didn't you?"

"I'm just being a good friend. Minho is the leader of the dance club, so we've known each other well. Don't worry, I'm not interested in him, I'm into short guys. The thing is, my freckles keep telling me that this dude is your type, and that's the real shit."

Jisung was lowkey happy but disappointed at Felix because he has a good connection with Minho. "By the way, my father is going on a business trip for months, so you can crash at my place anytime." Jisung not so smoothly changed the topic. "Oh, he also told me to take care of his goddamn cat. You know how much I hate cats."

"Too bad. I heard that Minho loves cats. You better treat the cat justice or no Minho." With that Felix ended the call and continued to play his video-game while thinking about a certain short guy in his head.

On the other hand, Jisung was dumbfounded.

┉┉


	2. 2

"I'm gay."

"We know."

Lee Felix is currently sitting in the cafeteria, surrounded with his friends, admitting his sexual orientation while munching cheese stick.

"Do you guys still love me for who I am?" Felix chewed the cheese stick nervously. Everyone stared one another.

Jisung patted Felix's back a little too harshly, causing Felix to choke on cheese stick. "I mean, you have the gay aura. I've been waiting for this day to happen. Don't worry." Felix sighed in relief. "Look at you! You like getting choked, huh? Poor cheese stick got mistreated." Jisung teased.

"Hyung, he didn't choke the cheese stick on purpose. Actually—"

Jisung cut Jeongin's speech. "Jeongin, baby. You're too young to understand the adult love life." Next to Jeongin, there lies Hyunjin and Seungmin, living their own world. "Excuse me, Seungjin. This is a serious conversation, please pay attention you lovebirds."

Felix was finally done with the choking incident. "Bro, just let them be. They're cute." Felix's attention shifted upon seeing Minho's arrival. "Hyung! Over here," Felix shouted, catching everyone's attention, including Jisung's.

Minho immediately noticed Felix's noticeable calling, walked himself to Jisung's table, put his hand on Felix's parietal bone, punching it lightly, then tweaked the boy's ear. Making Felix squirm in displeasure.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Felix hissed unhappily, earning various chuckles from the whole universe and above.

Minho gave Felix a CD. "Did you purposely left your CD?" Felix panicked, sweats dripping when it's cold.

"Whoops, that was totally unintentional." Unintentional my ass, Jisung thought. Felix distorted his sight from Minho. "Well, you're here now. Why don't you come eat with us?" Jisung could already smell something fishy by looking at Felix's magical freckles.

"Okay, but lemme grab my bros."

Seconds later, the table was already packed with students. Minho has three bros, with the name Chan, Woojin, and Changbin. The Changbin guy took Felix's breath away as he always does. Jisung could only sit awkwardly while Hyunjin and Seungmin were too preoccupied with their own world.

Minho sit next to Felix, blocking Changbin from Felix's sight. Woojin and Chan were awestruck by Jeongin's peaceful breathing, which caught Seungmin's attention, much to Hyunjin's annoyance.

"Looks like we got new members." Seungmin handed his phone to Chan and Woojin. "The online registration is now available on https://www.foxarmyslay.com or you can join us on fan cafe. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me." Seungmin gave a card with his phone number written on it.

"Seungminnie, you can't just give them your number," Hyunjin whined.

"Remember, I have four phones, one for business purposes, one for family and friends, one for blackmailing activity, and one for you," Seungmin specified then massaged Hyunjin's nape.

Felix finally snapped back to reality. "Did you just say blackma-"

"Holy kittens, you have four fucking frigetty frogetty phones?" Minho slammed the table, sending vibrations to Jisung's body. (this sentence sounds wrong in my head lmao)

"Yeah, Jisung gave it to me for my birthday. He said that he's planning to give me a phone, but he forgot my birthday. Four days later, the phones arrived, he also gave me a hoodie with a cat printed on it," Seungmin explained thoroughly.

Felix finished his whole cheese sticks. "Talking about cat, how's Elizabeth?"

Jisung's head hurts upon hearing the word cat. "Yeah, I told Mr. Cha to take Elizabeth to the salon after buying cat food."

Minho barked in like a cat person he is. "You have cats? You're a cat person too?"

Cat person? Jisung thought to himself. Why are people these days enjoys referring themselves as animal? Am I an animal? Jisung thought once again. (insert Chungha's innocent voice)

"I have three cats. We should play with our cats together sometimes." Felix kicked Jisung's foot and wiggled his eyebrows upon hearing Minho's idea.

"What a great idea, Lee Minho. You should be the world's president." Felix kept exchanging glares to Jisung and Minho. In his head, a perfect scenario is formed. Jisung could only sweat nervously.

The nine of them continued their chatting activity. Minho, Felix, and Jisung were still talking about cat business, Hyunjin slept on Seungmin's shoulder as he kept promoting Jeongin's fan club to Woojin and Chan, whereas Changbin was glued to his phone, jamming songs by himself. On the other hand, Jeongin's about to lose his shit as Chan kept ruffling his hair while being stucked with Seungmin.

They got to know each other better. Apparently Minho, Felix, and Hyunjin are close since they attended to the same club. Meanwhile Changbin shared the same class with Minho, so they're close.

Fun fact, Chan's father and Jisung's father's were business acquaintances, no wonder they're both rich. They both owns iPhone 9 and nine laptops. 

Loud footsteps echoed through the school's cafeteria. Each seconds, the footsteps kept getting louder and scarier. A tall man approached the loud ass table.

"Break time's over. You guys should be at class ten minutes ago." Mr. D looked rather too pissed as he saw nine males, chatting and goofing around together when it's no longer break time.

Jisung accidentally pissed his pants. Mr. D was known for his intimidating presence. He stands tall in 201 centimeters (6'59'') with his dark suit, giving out the serial killer vibes.

Mr. D cleared his throat. "Detention for all of you except Yang Jeongin after school hours."

Jisung pinched Jeongin's stomach, sending signals which Jeongin quickly understood.

Jeongin raised his hand. After Mr. D gave him the nod, Jeongin prepared himself for something that everyone would be thankful for.

"Mr. D, please don't punish them. They're all nice and friendly hyungs." Jeongin gave Mr. D the cutest pout and the deadly puppy eyes. He played with his sweater paws nervously, his feet kept jumping ever so excitedly. Meanwhile Jisung just gulped a large amount of water to avoid talking.

Mr. D almost passed away until Hyunjin shoved a chili pepper down to his throat. Jisung almost spit his water, key word: almost.

"What was that for?" Mr. D snapped back to reality.

"For saving your life."

"Yeah, you look like you're in the brink of death," Changbin finally spoke, shocking the whole universe, much to Felix's fulfillment.

Mr. D seemed like he's having a mental breakdown. "Detention is canceled, thanks to Jeongin. Go to your classes now!" Mr. D looked at Hyunjin and Seungmin's intimate staring. "Seungjin! Go back to your classroom, you can stare each other in class."

The couple retreated their gazes and went back to their class with Jisung, Felix, and Jeongin. Woojin, Changbin, and Chan went to their seperate classroom. Minho on the other hand, casually skipped classes after he witnessed a beautiful stray cat near the cafeteria.

Little did he know, the cat was indeed a high class cat, not a lost stray cat.

"Hey princess, how did you get here? Are you lost?" Minho continued his little cat talks as he placed the cat on his lap, gently stroking the fur. Minho never felt such a soft cat in his life. The cat fell asleep on Minho's lap, earning a light chuckle from Minho.

A man in suit suddenly approached Minho. "There you are, Elizabeth." Minho looked up immediately. He was surprised to see the same man who opened the car door for Jisung yesterday. He's tall, handsome, and young-looking. Minho's lowkey jealous of his beauty and wonder about his connection with Jisung.

"Here's your cat." Minho placed the sleeping cat onto the other guy's arms. "I've seen you before, haven't I?"

"My name's Cha Eunwoo, you can call me Mr. Cha or Eunwoo. I'm Han Jisung's personal assistant and driver. I believe we've met before." Mr. Cha offered his hand to Minho, which he gladly accepts. His left hand was supporting Elizabeth the 3rd. "By the way this isn't my cat, it's the Han's."

Personal, huh? Minho thought a little too sarcastically. The Jisung guy kept appearing in his head as he kept shooing the thoughts away.

They shared a small talk, mostly Jisung's related. Minho seemed to have interest on the Jisung guy, he wanted to know Jisung better as a friend.

Mr. Cha almost spilled the tea as he kept talking about Jisung. It was hard to contain his excitement.

┉┉


	3. 3

"You're fucking kidding me," Jisung dramatically gasped.

Mr. Cha gulped nervously. "It was an accident. I got excited and gave him your address." He then placed Elizabeth the 3rd next to Jisung because he was tired of playing with the cat.

"You said that he's coming in five minutes, right? That's crazy, I ha—"

"Five seconds, not five minutes."

Jisung's mind was blown. He was in the middle of unboxing his brand new iPhone when he heard a familiar voice.

"Mr. Cha, a hot guy who addressed himself as Lee Minho is in front of the mansion with three cats." Jisung could hear one of his maids, Bambam, speaking from the outside.

Mr. Cha nodded. "Let him in."

"I already let him in. He's on the way to Mr. Han Junior's room." Bambam opened the door to Jisung's room. Mr. Cha literally face-palmed his godlike forehead.

"What is personal space..." Jisung muttered.

Bambam let out a saucy laugh. "Honey, there's no such thing as personal space when you're the son of Jumin Han. Let us have a good time without big boss." Bambam threw a package to Jisung's groin. "Your Mamamoo's album has arrived." Jisung winced in pain, whereas Bambam casually danced to Starry Night and left the room.

It was painfully silent after Bambam left the room until someone decided to break the silence. "You guys know that I've been standing here for a good eleven point twenty-five seconds." That someone was indeed Minho.

"Why don't you sit next to Jisung, I'll bring you guys a glass of water so no one's getting fucked." Mr. Cha proceeded to left the room, leaving Jisung and Minho alone with the cats.

Jisung was only wearing his boxers and Adidas flip flops. Noticing Minho's awkward behavior, Jisung took the hint then went inside the bathroom, cheeks flushed redder than Hellevator's MV.

Jisung hated himself for dressing so embarrassingly. He was a lazy teenage dude. He would spend his days wearing nothing and all the house workers were no longer surprised. Being exposed was the definition of his life.

Jisung must admit that Minho's a whole ass snack. Unfortunately, Jisung couldn't maintain his sanity and kept embarrassing himself in front of the cat whisperer.

After contemplating his life decisions, Jisung went back to check on Minho, fully dressed. Now wearing his usual Gucci pair of clothing. Minho could only frowned in jealousy.

"Bro, I can't even afford half of your shoelace."

Jisung stayed calm to private further embarrassment. He even had a blindfold on his face. Being left alone with a creature like Lee Minho made his stomach felt uneasy in a heart-fluttering way.

"Allow me to introduce my cats to you." Minho picked his cats excitedly. "This is Soon-ie, Doong-ie, and Dori. Guys, this is Jisung-ie."

Jisung's stomach churned after hearing the cute nickname. He's whipped and doomed at the same time. The apocalypse is near, he thought.

"This is Elizabeth the 3rd, the cat who took my sanity away."

"I see... her cuteness can take everyone's sanity away." Minho played with Elizabeth the 3rd, being the oblivious shit he is. "What a fancy name for a fancy looking cat."

Elizabeth the 3rd enjoyed Minho's company, but she missed her master. The familiar smell of the Han's family perfume made Elizabeth the 3rd jumped vigorously towards Jisung.

"Who the fuck is scratching my Gucci?" Jisung yelped, swinging his arms randomly, not even bother to take the blindfolds off.

Minho's cats followed Elizabeth the 3rd footsteps, all meowing in excitement. Jisung has never felt so attacked in his whole life. The disrespect is real.

"Doong-ie, he's not food! Soon-ie, I trusted you and you betrayed me! Dori, I told you not to touch random people's clothing!" Minho's plan on playing with Jisung's cat turned into a fiasco.

Minho tried his best to get the cats off Jisung's body, but the cats were stronger. Jisung fell on his back with cats surrounding him. Minho on the other hand, was kneeling in front of Jisung, trying to get a grip of the wild cats.

The door suddenly opened. "This is why we don't do drugs." Mr. Cha placed the water on the table, then threw a snicker bar to Minho's ass.

Minho hissed and quickly stood up. Acting like nothing happened.

"Eat a snicker!" The tall man disappeared supernaturally.

Caw caw caw.

"Now Mr. Cha probably thinks that I'm a horny ass teenager, thanks to you." The cats went silent. Jisung just wanted to shimmy shimmy kokothrow himself out of the window.

"I was trying to help you. You can't get a grip of your cat, not my fault," Minho snickered; opening his bar of snicker. "Teenagers are supposed to be horny after all."

Jisung eyes wandered around the snack, he hasn't eaten snicker for a while. Now's probably the best time because he needs to calm his tits.

"You won't be eating this snicker unless if you show me your dedication." Minho purposely wiggled the bar in front of Jisung's bangs.

"I can buy the whole factory instead."

"Of course, but it'll take forever for the snickers to arrive. You'd have to see this little one being devoured by this pretty mouth." Minho licked his lips seductively, proud of his marketing skill.

The moment Minho's lips touched the sexy piece of snicker, Jisung's greed took over his body. He leaned forward, taking a bite.

Minho was surprised by Jisung's brave move. Not letting his pride being stepped on, his lips went forward. Their lips kept inching forward, getting closer by each bite. Jisung never tasted a snicker bar this heavenly, although his father would probably disowned him for eating commoners food with a high sugar level.

Being the biggest Minsung shipper they are, Elizabeth the 3rd, Soon-ie, Doong-ie, and Dori joined forces and pushed Jisung's body in unison. Their lips touched in the process.

Minho never once expected himself to kiss a guy by accident.

Sensing both homosexual and paranormal activity from downstairs, Mr. Cha rushed himself to Jisung's room. He banged the door with no regrets. Let's just say that he's pretty amused with the sight.

"I knew it!" Both Jisung and Minho backed away in panic.

Minho wanted to speak, but no words were spoken.

"This isn't what it looks like," Jisung protested.

"Speak all you want, I'm telling Bambam." Mr. Cha threw an item to Jisung, which he quickly caught in time. Jisung was used to Mr. Cha's throwing habit. He would've spent his days in the basketball court if he's not busy working with the Han's.

He took a glance at the item, it was a poster of Zico.

Jisung ignored Minho and blamed himself for making the situation more awkward than it already is.

"About that, I thi—"

"Let's not talk about it."

Minho got up, still silent. "I think I should leave. I'll see you at school tomorrow." The cats acknowledged the awkward atmosphere as they all walked together, leaving Jisung and Elizabeth the 3rd all by themselves.

The moment Minho and his cats left the room, Elizabeth the 3rd started meowing melodramatically. Maybe little Ellie has a crush on one of Minho's cats, or she preferred the polyandry life of a cat.

"Stop meowing or I'll make you eat cheap foods!" Jisung warned. Elizabeth the 3rd immediately shut herself up.

Jisung forgot the main reason he's staying at his room. He's supposed to be unboxing his iPhone and Mamamoo's album, but he couldn't focus at all.

His mind is filled with thoughts. He regretted his earlier decision to eat Minho's snicker.

He had lost his virginity, that's what he thought.

Rest in Peace, Virgin Lips.

┉┉


	4. 4

Jisung avoided Minho after the kiss incident, though it was accidental.

Despite all the Minho related things, Jisung and his assistant had gotten closer to the point that he called him Eunwoo instead of Mr. Cha. He started to treat him like a friend.

Eunwoo seemed to have a soft spot for his young boss and Elizabeth the 3rd.

It was raining cats and dogs outside. School hours have passed not a long time ago. Jisung and his classmates were packing their bags. Felix was the only one who's busy fiddling his camera, smiling like an idiot.

"Let's go to Hyunjin's house." Hyunjin's ears perked up by hearing his own name.

"What? Why?"

"Cause your house is faraway from mine." Jisung shrugged. To be honest, Jisung just wanted to spend time without Elizabeth the 3rd. Seeing Elizabeth the 3rd everyday just made him feel worst, especially when his father kept calling him just to check on the fur ball.

"That's the dumbest excuse I've ever heard." Seungmin smacked Hyunjin's head for his words. He obviously liked Jisung's idea. "Fine."

Seungmin smiled widely. "Baby Innie, are you coming?" Hyunjin scowled at Seungmin. Definitely jealous.

Jeongin nodded after taking a picture of the white board because he's too lazy to write notes.

"Felix, you're coming?" Jisung shook the freckled boy's shoulder.

Felix snapped back to reality. "Yes, I mean no... by that I mean yes. Yes is the final answer." Felix was unmistakably disturbed.

"Bro, you've been staring at your camera for fucking ten minutes." Jisung took Felix's camera, receiving a loud whine from the Australian.

Surprise, bitch. Felix's camera is filled with Minho's classmate pictures. Changbin... that's the name. Jisung was deep in thought. He always do this thing whenever he found his best friend's potential love interest.

"We're gonna talk about this later." He returned the exposed boy's camera and dialed his handsome driver.

However things were different in the upper class. Minho couldn't focus at all throughout the day. He wondered why the Jisung boy was ignoring him. Changbin got worried sick of his seat partner.

"Maybe I'm too poor for his standard, maybe I'm being too wild, maybe he loved snickers more than I do," Minho mumbled under his breath endlessly.

Changbin tapped Minho's palm. "Maybe you're over thinking things."

"I should talk to him properly." Minho then proceeded to leave the already empty classroom, leaving Changbin on his own. Darkness surrounding his all black outfits. Little did he know that someone was watching from afar, secretly taking a picture.

Minho sprinted to Jisung's classroom, but Jisung wasn't there. Everyone has left the classroom. He gave up then decided to go back to check on Changbin.

There he met Felix.

┉┉

"Where the fuck is Yongbok?"

"Language! Jeongin might listen to your bad taste of vocabulary." Seungmin covered Jeongin's ears.

They're all in Jisung's car, except for Felix. Only God knows where he is right now.

"Hyung, I didn't plan to hear him cursing but I hear everything." Jeongin put Seungmin's hands on the right place: Hyunjin's thighs.

Hyunjin smiled so brightly. He and Seungmin hasn't shared a fluffy conversation due to the fact that Seungmin was so attached to Jeongin and Felix kept asking his Seungmin on how to snap a decent picture of an aesthetic creature without getting noticed.

Hyunjin passed a note to Jeongin in secret. It was difficult because Jeongin was practically sitting on Seungmin's lap, but Jeongin managed to get the crumpled note and began to unfold it.

Dear Jeonginnie, I love you so much but I lowkey hated you for stealing my man. I know you're cute but I didn't expect you to be this cute and understanding. Thanks for shipping me and Seungmin together. If we ended up as a couple, we'll adopt you. Don't tell Seungminnie, I wanted to surprise him :)  
XoXo,  
Hyunjin, your future step dad.

Jeongin teared up, whereas Jisung was still losing his shit.

"This is bad." Jisung continued to speak his minds out. "Felix is too dumb. He can't even remember his home address. If he got lost than how am I suppo—"

"Enough with the shit talking, I'll make sure to pick him up after you guys arrived at Hyunjin's."

"Thanks, Mr. Cha, I mean Eunwoo-hyung. How can I not think about that." Jisung took off his pricey bandana. "I guess this Dolce & Gabbana headband is covering my brain cells."

"You don't even have one to begin with," Seungmin proudly said therefore he's the only one blessed with functioning brain cells.

Everyone laughed happily, but not Jisung.

It only took fifteen minutes for the car to reach the final destination. After everyone left the car, Eunwoo hurriedly drove back to school.

Hyunjin opened the front door with his key. As soon as the door opened, they were met with the most beautiful person in the world, currently singing in the house so beautifully.

The singing person stopped singing upon realizing Hyunjin's arrival. "You brought guests." Hyunjin just nodded then the guy continued singing with his sweet tone.

"Hyunjin, you never told me that an angel lives here." Everyone was mesmerized. "Who is he? Why is he so perfect?"

Hyunjin cleared his throat. "That's Minhyun, my brother."

"Gosh, he looks ethereal and so is the voice. I need his number." Seungmin couldn't stop fanboying over Minhyun. "How can a man be this perfect? I'm basically a kimchi compared to him." He frowned, Jisung just cringed.

"Minnie, you're the tastiest kimchi in the whole universe, you are perfect for me." Hyunjin embraced the latter.

Seungmin's hand snaked around Hyunjin's back. "Awww, you're the sweetest heartthrob."

"You guys know that I'm the main character, right?"

Fourth wall who?

They all went silent, including Minhyun, until Hyunjin decided to lead everyone into his bedroom.

Hyunjin's room was really cozy. It was quite unexpected since everyone thought that he's the fuckboy type. Perhaps Seungmin changed his life.

As soon as they touched the bed, Seungmin and Hyunjin cuddled under the bed sheets. Jisung and Jeongin could only watch the two lovebirds having a session.

"You guys are so cute." Jisung placed his head in the crook of Jeongin's neck. "After all I'm just a pathetic last piece of potato chip that no one's picked."

"But everyone would fight for the last piece of potato chip." Jeongin caressed the boy's soft skin. "What about Minho? He seems like a candidate. I heard he likes potato chips."

Jisung's cheeks went red. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss.

"Hyung, you're blushing!" Jeongin poked the reddish cheeks. "You like him, don't you?"

"No! It was just a kiss, it's not exactly a kiss since it's only an accident... not that I like it but I don't hate it either. Now I can't look him in the eyes again since he saw me naked—I wear boxers though, but I'm still fucked up. I think I might have feelings for him but at the same time I don't. I don't know, I'm not sure myself. I can't even choose whether to have oats or a sandwich for breakfast." Jeongin listened to Jisung's confession.

"You guys kissed?!" Seungmin jumped from the bed.

"He saw you naked?!" Hyunjin yelled in disbelief.

"You can't choose your breakfast?! I'll definitely choose sandwich if I was you." Minhyun joined the conversation.

"Hyung, where did you come from?" Hyunjin shot him a glare. "Get out!"

Minhyun walked out from the bedroom with his head hung low.

"You can't just kick him out!" Seungmin punched Hyunjin's arm.

"I have to." Hyunjin punched back.

Jeongin was concerned of his hyungs. "By the way, how's the kiss? Do you like it?" The Seungjin couple are now back to their normal state.

Jisung blushed once again. "I don't... but you know the feeling of being kissed by a hot guy."

Seungmin chuckled. "Yeah, Hyunjin kissed me on the first day of school. I didin't know him back then, but I enjoyed it very much." Jeongin wheezed in response.

The door suddenly opened. "You should just give him another chance. He doesn't seem like a bad guy," Minhyun croaked, his head peeked into the bedroom.

"Good idea, but why do you keep joining our conversation?" Hyunjin snarled at the boy.

"I'm just sharing my thoughts. By the way your freckled friend is here."

Already? Eunwoo must've used magic when he's driving, Jisung thought.

The said boy appeared with an apologetic look on his face. "G'day mate!"

"Explain everything!"

┉┉


	5. 5

"Felix?"

Felix turned around upon hearing the familiar voice. He was somewhat scared because it's dark there, yet someone was calling him from the darkness.

Hello darkness my old friend.

Oh, it's just Minho.

"Hyung? What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Minho approached the blonde silently.

Oof, Felix felt like he's being exposed.

Minho noticed the large camera on his friends' hands. Why's he holding a camera in the darkness? Minho thought.

"Are you trying to capture ghosts? I heard this school used to be a graveyard." Minho was back to his oblivion state.

"Hyung, you know that's just a silly rumor. Every school has that graveyard or hospital rumor."

Minho chuckled after realizing his stupidity for believing such rumors. "Well then, why are you holding a camera?"

"Oh..." Felix paused for a second, contemplating whether he should tell Minho or not. "Promise me you won't go cray cray."

"Of course."

"I have a thing for Changbin." Felix looked down, embarrassed. "I secretly takes pictures of him whenever he's alone which is almost every hour."

Changbin? Minho didn't expect to hear his seat mate's name coming out of from the Australian.

"Don't tell me..." Minho peeked inside the dark classroom. There he saw Changbin who's drowned to the music he's listening. Changbin often said that he loves dark, but he didn't expect the reality to be this creepy.

(I love dak)

Felix purposely coughed to get Minho's attention. "Enough about me. What about you? Any progress with Jisung?"

"Uh... what?"

"Don't lie to me, Hoe. My freckles can see through your brain."

Minho was confused. "He's avoiding me for God knows why. I've been really friendly with him and his cat, but I accidentally kissed him and yeahh..."

Felix almost threw his camera, but he didn't because of his crush's photos. "Bro, you've got a serious business going on."

Minho's stomach churned.

"You know what's likely to happen when you kissed a very gay boy." Felix crossed his legs, arms resting on his chin.

"He's gay?"

"You didn't know?! I can't believe you!"

"How am I supposed to know? It's not like I'm gay. I mean I didn't mean to attract him that way." Minho finished his statement.

Talking to Minho was a waste of time. Essentially, he's a brick wall.

Felix pinched the bridge of his nose. "So I just wasted my time talking to a brick wall when my Binnie is there." Felix took a glance at Changbin who seemed to be unbothered, considering the visible Airpods were still tucked in his ears. "Just apologize to Jisung for no reason and give me his number." Felix pointed at Changbin and continued, "I'll give you Jisung's number in case he's not talking. People tend to express themselves differently in social media, which is not a bad thing, but not a good thing either."

The older couldn't believe that a Felix could say such words. He's lost at words.

"I'll take that as a yes." And so they exchange numbers.

(What about Changbin, tho 😂)

┉┉

"And that's the tea, sis." Felix finished his long ass story. He told everything, except his conversation with Minho, so basically he's not telling anything.

"That's one delicious tea." Minhyun clapped his hands like a seal.

"FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME PLEASE FUCK OFF!" Hyunjin literally kicked his handsome-faced brother out of the room.

Seungmin glared at him. "Why did you kick him out? He's nice, talented, and pretty. Just look at his eyes! They're like beautiful orbs, reflecting the beautiful night sky with those glassy iris. The moment his eyelids flickered, my heart went boom, you know, we got that boom boom—" (I appreciate Minhyun's visuals so much ugHH hE's bOoTifUL)

"Hyung, I think that's enough." Jeongin faked a smile.

"Sorry, I went overboard."

Hyunjin was somewhat not impressed.

Meanwhile Jisung was distracted. He has been trying his best to understand what's going on but his vibrating phone kept distracting him.

At first he didn't want to open his phone because: his friends are all chatting here, he blocked Jumin Han's number, and the whole house workers including Eunwoo have their numbers saved on his other phone, so whoever's trying to reach out for him is no other than a stranger. In conclusion, there's no way he's going to pick up his phone.

Not even a second later, Jisung checked his phone.

What is commitment?

He received a message from an unknown number, followed with nine missed calls.

Unknown   
i'm sorry :(

Jisung  
who tf are u?

Unknown   
lee minho

Jisung  
o

Jisung immediately saved the number.

Minho  
forgive me pls 🙏

Jisung  
make me

Minho  
uhh... meet me at the park after school tmr?

Jisung  
u sound like a kidnapper but ok sure

Minho  
unless u wanna get kidnapped, make sure to arrive on time

Jisung  
it's not like i hate being kidnapped by u, but the important business is to discuss the shit

Minho  
sure thing bro

Jisung  
yea... bro

#BROZONED

"Bitch, why the fuck are you smiling?" Felix stuck both of his index fingers into Jeongin's ears while talking. Jeongin mewled in discomfort.

Seungmin took Felix's fingers out of Jeongin's ears. "Stop hurting my baby!"

"I was protecting him—anyway Jisung, don't think you can dodge this question."

Jisung tried his best to act natural. "Someone sent me a meme."

Felix sipped his tea and grimaced. "Sure, a stranger sent you a meme so randomly and it's not even 3 a.m." He continued to sipped his nonexistent tea. "That must be a stranger."

"Stop being sarcastic," Hyunjin mumbled under the thick blanket. His finger kept scrolling through Instagram. He stopped scrolling when he's met with Woojin's account.

Woojin's Instagram feed was filled with pictures of him and a girl whom he has never seen in his life.

"Woojin's taken?" Hyunjin yelled a little too dramatically.

"You just noticed that?" Jisung snorted. "He's been dating for four years with this Malik girl."

"Are you saying that he's dating Zayn Malik?" Minhyun appeared like he usually did.

"You know what, I'm not gonna waste my time and energy to kick you out." Hyunjin almost threw his phone.

"You could've locked the door," Seungmin suggested.

"Stop making me look stupid!"

"Okay, chill..." Now it's Seungmin's turn to sip the imaginary tea.

Jisung finally raised his voice to the point that it has reached a perfect high note. "LISTEN UP YOU FUCKERS, YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ACTING SHITTY SO FAR, SO PLEASE LISTEN TO ME ONCE!"

Felix stood up to do the Dora the Explorer's celebration dance. "Queen just snapped." A second later, he changed his dance, so he's now dancing to Snapping by Chungha. "Keep talking, fucktard. Ignore me."

They all sit together on the floor, with Minhyun of course. Felix was dancing in the middle of the cult.

Hyunjin started the discussion. "You know that I'm not familiar with the two seniors since I only care about Seungmin... so tell me what have I missed?"

"A lot, bitch." Jisung patted Hyunjin's back. "So Chan's rich as you all know. I've met him several times during family business hours, so he's always busy, unlike me because I don't care about business at all."

Felix stepped into the discussion. "Chan and Woojin used to be really close, but Chan is too busy and Woojin started to feel lonely. One day a girl named Malik came into his life and save him. It was four years ago."

"They started dating and Woojin started to gain more friends. He's really close with Malik's childhood friend, the name's Hwall. Many people thought that Woojin's dating Hwall but they're just friends," Jisung continued the story.

Felix nodded. "Yeah, and Hwall also have friends. He then introduced Woojin to his friends. Hanbin and Wonho, that's the name! They're the cutest group of friends, but they all went to different schools. They're still close, though. He's still dating Malik until this second."

"Turns out that Malik is one hell of a matchmaker. She matched Vernon and Seungkwan together, and many more." Jisung finished the story.

Minhyun clapped loudly. "Wow, that's more complicated than the Kardashians."

They ended the discussion with a prayer. Minhyun invited his fellow colleague, Hong Jisoo, to lead the prayer.

Ten minutes later, they all went home to each houses. Forgetting the fact that they're having the midterm exam tomorrow.

Well, all Jisung could think was Minho.

For Minho? He was interested on the younger boy for no reason.

┉┉


	6. 6

Jisung was a mess.

He's more messed up than The Human Centipede Movie, more messed up than the dark web, more messed up than most people's childhood. He was the messiest human potato ever existed in his opinion.

Let's just say that Jisung was whipped for the cat lover to the fact that he forgot to study for his midterm exam. Even so, he still woke up.

Fortunately his friends were messed up either. At least he won't be suffering all by himself.

He's now standing lifeless in front of his foggy bathroom mirror, contemplating whether being born was a good idea or not. His skin was bright red due to the hot water that he couldn't controlled.

Oh, right. There's school.

With the help of the maids, Jisung managed to arrive on time with a full stomach. His precious maid, Bambam, thought that it's a good idea to cook lasagna for Jisung's breakfast.

The school was like a battlefield. Everyone went chaotic for no reason. Felix was chill, though. The never-ending chaos ended the moment Mr. D stepped inside the classroom with a handful of papers.

"Good morning class," Mr. D greeted with a sheepish smile.

Nobody replied as usual.

Mr. D perpetually sighed in boredom. "Let's just start the midterm exam. Today's subject is history as you all know... or not." He gave the papers to each students. "This class smells like failure and I smell like regret, so do your best or count on your luck."

Jisung's eyes widened upon hearing the word exam. Jisung exchanged a petrified look to Felix, then Felix exchanged the exact look to Seungmin who sits next to Hyunjin, so they both nodded in response and proceeded the activity over and over again until the whole class was infected, including the teacher.

Everyone's petrified but still tried to finish the exam nevertheless. Jisung on the other hand didn't even think to use his brain. He's filling the answer sheet with made up lyrics instead.

Mr. D stood in the middle of the class. "Okay class, that's all for today. Please pass your paper to the person in front of you now!"

"What the duck, it's only been five minutes," Hyunjin scowled, still passing his paper.

"Time flies, handsome kid. Now it's time for me to escape this hellish place you called school." Mr. D then vanished.

"Fuck you, Mr Dick!"

"Watch your profanity! Baby Jeongin is still here."

The class returned to its chaotic state as usual. Jisung knew very well that he fucked up his test, so he slept on Jeongin's left shoulder for the whole school hour without regret. Besides, Jeongin didn't mind the extra weight. As time goes, Felix scooted towards Jeongin and placed his head on his right shoulder to balance the weight.

School hour passed by faster than usual, unmistakably faster because Jisung spent the whole period sleeping. He would sleep the whole day if Jeongin didn't wake him up.

"Wakie wakie, squirrel Hyungie~" Jeongin softly tapped Jisung's puffy blonde hair.

Jisung yawned endlessly. "What time is it?" He lifted his head.

"Felix would say that it's time to sin, but I'd rather say that it's time to go home." The younger packed his backpack and call Seungmin: his unofficial personal driver. Seungmin would be mad if he heard those words coming out from Jeongin's mouth and blame Felix.

Suddenly Jisung's phone buzzed, tickling his butt. Therefore he picked his phone from his pocket without seeing the caller's ID.

"Karma Hut Delivery, how can I help you?" Jisung welcomed the conversation.

"Uhh... I would like a piece of Han Jisung on the park," the caller responded professionally. "Oh, also a glass of tea, but without sugar cause you're already sweet, I almost have diabetes."

Jisung ended the call to prevent further embarrassment. He's blushing madly, which confused Jeongin.

"Who's flirting on you?" the younger guessed.

Jisung couldn't maintain his composure. "My cat! Uhh... I have to go now, bye! Thanks for lending me your shoulder." Jisung ran out of the class like Usain Bolt.

That was weird, Jeongin thought to himself.

"Hey, why are you doing here all by yourself?" A slightly shorter guy approached him. Jeongin turned to see the said boy.

It was just Bang Chan.

Jeongin hurriedly swung his backpack to his back. "Seungmin hyung said that I shouldn't talk with strangers. I should obey my mom's order. Bye Cha—I mean nobody."

"Wait! You know me. I know you're not that innocent."

It's not that Jeongin didn't know Chan, but he's still uncomfortable talking with a senior whom he rarely met. Seungmin told him many scary stories about pedophiles and kidnappers which traumatized the innocent boy.

Jeongin faked a call. "My driver is here, gotta Luhan~"

┉┉

"You're late."

"Excuse me, Sir. You're not my teacher." Jisung rolled his eyes dramatically.

In a flash, the memories of Minho and Jisung together appeared on Jisung's head. The atmosphere turned awkward in a split second.

Jisung and Minho were in the park, as Minho previously planned. There were a few students passing by; mostly couples and third wheelers.

Minho cleared his throat to get Jisung's attention. "There's something I'd like to talk about."

Jisung nodded, staying silent.

"Let's just admit that we're both a little too dramatic." Minho crossed his arms and legs. "Sorry, I mean... it was an accident. We barely knew each other and I don't want us to be distant so suddenly."

The blonde still couldn't meet the older's eyes. "Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry that I avoided you without reason. It's just..." Jisung tried to find the right words, but couldn't. The problem is his own growing feelings for Minho.

Minho tilted his head towards Jisung's, eager to know real reason behind Jisung's action. Jisung immediately backed away.

Jisung was flustered as hell.

"You're being too close." Jisung covered his face, unable to react properly. He never felt so shy in front of people.

Minho's eyes widened, hands circling the younger's back. "What's wrong? Are you sick?" He was utterly concerned.

The flustered Jisung realized that Minho is always oblivious. He thanked God for this moment.

Three individuals came out of nowhere and suddenly crashed onto Minho. They were Woojin, his girlfriend, and a muscular dude.

"Did I just hear the word sick?" The girl pulled Jisung's hand which covered his head.

"Oh God, he's red!" The muscular one checked Jisung's breathings. "He's not breathing properly, he's hyperventilating."

"Who the fuck are you guys?" Minho gave them a dissatisfied look. "Except Woojin hyung..."

Woojin smiled at him. "I'm Woojin. She's Malik, my girlfriend." The Malik girl waved at Minho. "And the other one is Wonho." Wonho also waved at Minho with his muscular arm.

"Okay, but why are you guys here?"

Woojin casually replied. "We're the protagonists. We protect everyone who's in danger. I take care of the antagonists while Malik and Wonho take care of the victim." Woojin shook Minho's hand. "I'm also an MC, you can contact me if you need help to host a show. I've been hosting Fox Army monthly ceremony forever, even though I've officially joined the fandom a couple of days ago after interacting with Jeongin myself. Also, I've been doing kendo for six years. My mom told me to study but it's not easy since I have a hectic schedule. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that we—"

Minho gave an awkward smile. "Okay, hyung. That's too much information." He approached Jisung. "How's he doing?"

Wonho gave him a thumbs up. "He's recovering fast. We'll leave you two now." The trio bowed and disappeared.

"Don't worry, I'm okay." Jisung was back to normal.

"I'm glad. Anyway, like I said earlier, I don't wanna things go awkward... so are we good now?"

"Yeah yeah."

Minho let out a beautiful chuckle. Jisung almost fell asleep upon hearing the soothing melody.

Minho checked his watch. "I have to go now, thanks for listening." They both stood up, ready to go home. "Let's play with our cats again sometimes. My kitties love little Ellie. We need to hang out more often cause that's what friends do."

Jisung's body almost crumbled after hearing the word 'friend'. Thankfully he didn't.

"Yeah, sure... friend."

He didn't know why he was feeling a little down after that. Maybe because of the sickness, maybe because he didn't do well on his exams...

Or maybe he was expecting more.

┉┉


	7. 7

"Her nails are too long, she does not look happy with you." The person on the other line kept listing the abnormalities within Elizabeth the 3rd.

"I ain't no Lee Minho, so I don't know shit about cats." Jisung sarcastically remarked while applying nail polish. Not forgetting to blow his polished nails.

"Actor Lee Minho?"

Jisung remembered that his father didn't know Minho.

"Maybe."

Jumin sighed in frustration, still maintain his elegance. "This is such a waste of time. Do not take advantage of her, she's a princess. Since I don't have much time, it's time to bid my farewell to my beautiful Elizabeth the 3rd. Good evening." He then disconnected the video call.

Jisung threw his iPad in annoyance. Elizabeth the 3rd jumped and ran away from him. Jisung was supposed to be enjoying his rainy Friday evening with a relaxing massage, but he was no longer interested with the massage.

"Can you be more gentle? For fuck sake, stop destroying my bones! I'm trying to eradicate humanity..." Jisung howled, devastatingly irritated.

The massager stopped massaging him. "I'm sorry, but what am I supposed to do now?"

"Call Eunwoo and Bambam, then get the fuck out of this place! Ask the security to drive you to Azerbaijan!" The small male nodded and get out of the room.

"Fucktard." Jisung wasn't in the mood to do anything anymore.

The door swung open to reveal the two males. One looked fresh in formal attire, and the other one looked like a hotel worker. Eunwoo and Bambam were his two favorites person in the house. They're very friendly and understanding. They would scold Jisung if needed. The three have a strong relationship, to the fact that they can all sleep together naked without doing anything inappropriate that could involve FBI.

"How can we help you?" Eunwoo picked the thrown iPad and returned the gadget to its place.

"Mr. Jumin Han isn't satisfied with my work," Jisung said sarcastically.

The two nodded, truly understand their young master's order. They have lived with Jisung forever, so they knew exactly that Jisung's in a bad mood and wanted to go somewhere else outside the mansion.

"I'll prepare the car and Bambam will take care of you." Eunwoo excited the room. Bambam swiftly changed Jisung's outfit so he'll look fabulous.

As soon as everything's prepared, Jisung walked himself to the vehicle with sunglasses on.

"Wait!" Jisung's fabulous rich moment got interrupted in the most infancy way he could possibly think of.

Bambam threw Elizabeth the 3rd into the back row of the car. The poor cat meowed happily, though she has been kicked out from the Han's property.

Nobody questioned Bambam because Jisung already knew himself that the whole house workers despise the cat for littering almost everywhere. The maids have to work extra hard to get rid of the fallen furs from the creature.

Jisung tried his best to ignore the cat, so he entered the car silently. He placed his expensive Gucci-layered butt on the passenger's seat next to Eunwoo: the only trustable driver.

He put on the seat belt, hearing a loud click from the joined metals. Safety first.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Can you ask me in a more sophisticated manner? I look extravagant so you have to live to my expectations." Jisung requested jokingly. Thankfully Eunwoo was good with promises.

"Young Master, what place would you like to venture out on this delightful rainy evening?"

Jisung faked a rich madam's laugh. "Oh, my dear Mr. Cha... take me out of this rain! My fractured heart is yearning for a blissful sunshine behind the frowning cumulus." He melodramatically face-palmed.

"As you wish, my lady." Eunwoo hit the gas respectfully, unlike those people in movies who drives on full speed just to forcefully hit the brake for not looking on the things they're about to crash on, then ended up knocking themselves out due to intense pressure from the sudden change of speed. From there the dramatic car accident turned into a hospital scene. That's when shit got seriously bad. Eunwoo learned about safety and emotional controls most of the times from either cliché movies or kdramas: two powerful sources for basic knowledge.

Anyway Eunwoo continued to drive faraway from the mansion just to escape the raining territory. He stopped driving when he found a decent park with flowery paths. There were not many people there, so there's no need to feel lonely in public places.

Jisung pulled out his sunglasses to review the environment. "I've never been here before, but I think I can take Elizabeth with me since I could spy Cesar Millan with my little eyes." He squinted his eyes to see the dog whisperer, making sure he's real. "Anygays, I'm positive that pets are allowed in this place where no one can spot me. Good job, Eunwoo!"

Eunwoo exited the driver's seat to opened the passagers seat's door. "My lady..." Jisung stepped outside the car with Elizabeth the 3rd, who managed to escape the car from the back.

"Pick me up at seven."

The taller smiled, then went back inside the car to leave Jisung.

Being a teenage boy he is, the boy excitedly ran into the beautiful park. He bounced his feet as he followed the flowery path with Elizabeth the 3rd on his arms. If the place didn't look as beautiful as the park he's in now, he would probably threw Elizabeth the 3rd on iceberg like how he usually throw all his problems away. His hands were aching badly with the feeling of the cat's fur on him.

It's not that he was allergic to cats or something. Jisung hated cats in general because of Elizabeth the 3rd.

Being born with silver spoon on his plate wasn't a choice. He didn't choose the busy life where his own house felt like workplace without privacy. He didn't choose the extra pressure to maintain the company image. He didn't choose a family who lives for job and job only.

Yes, money is great. Money is powerful. But money can't buy time, sadly people like Jumin Han spent most of his time earning money, though he's fully aware that it won't change Jisung's perspective about the company.

For a man with no time like Jumin Han, Elizabeth the 3rd was his one and only therapy.

For a normal child like Han Jisung, Elizabeth the 3rd was his enemy.

The fact that his own dad cared about his cat more than take interest on his child's whereabouts was seriously wrong. As a result, Jisung thinks that animals—specifically cats are more loved by humans, rather than humans themselves. Humans can be a pain in the ass, but Jisung didn't think himself as one of those species.

The smell of different kinds of flowers lighten up his mood. He still somehow felt like shit, though. At least he was far from home, also covered with glittery outfit which made him look like a different person.

"What makes you such a lucky creature? Why does he loves you more than me? What an annoying bitch you are," he murmured to Elizabeth the 3rd while running his fingers on the cat he hated the most. "At least no one would recognize me in this thick layered jacket."

"Jisung, what are you doing here?" Jisung and Elizabeth the 3rd leaped together. He knew the owner of the voice exactly.

Lee fucking Minho who seemed to Lee Knows his identity and whereabouts.

"Marty, you scared the shit outta me! How the fuck can you recognize me?"

Minho calmed the malfunctioning boy. "Mother always told me to choose the right path. Let's just say I know the path to your heart." Being the womanizer he is, Minho took this moment as his opportunity to sweet talk.

"Friends don't say that, you motherfucker." Jisung rolled his eyes, attempting to look cool, though his heart was feeling the otherwise.

"I was just joking, friends do that often." The whole friendship idea made Jisung feel crazy, like he was living in misery.

He felt worse than before, all thanks to his dumbass crush.

"Bastard, why do I fall for you out of all people?" He thought a little out loud.

"Did you say something?"

He shook his head fast. Meanwhile Elizabeth the 3rd was enjoying her time with Minho's cats. He wanted to escape the embarrassment, but couldn't.

Minho ruffled the rich boy's hair. "It's okay if you're still not comfortable with me. Want ice cream?" He pointed out the ice cream parlor a little far away.

Without words being exchanged, they somehow arrived at the desired place, of course with the cats. Jisung was wondering what flavor combination would work together based on taste and appearance. The older couldn't help but stare at the confused boy next to him.

It was a rare sight to see Jisung's childish side, all because of his family's culture.

Jisung spent his childhood learning about business stuff and manners, so whenever he has free time, his childlike behavior showed itself, for it's been buried inside of him with sarcasm.

"Hyung? Are you okay?"

Minho returned back to reality. "I'm okay, don't worry."

"No, I was just asking on which flavor would you like to buy. I'll pay you." Jisung pulled out his expensive leather wallet from his pouch.

"You don't need to pay me, I'm not that poor."

"My treat." Jisung's eyes sparkled.

"Okay. I'll treat you next time." He pointed his index finger to choose the two flavors.

For Jisung it was like a date he's been dreaming about. Walking in the sunset with Minho while eating ice cream together made his heart racing fast. Butterflies in his stomach.

However he was aware of Minho's feelings. The older wanted a friend, so he have to lock those feelings away to maintain their closeness.

Time flies, thus they fly together with time.

"It's already seven?" Jisung gasped in disbelief.

Minho was confused. "What about it? You're not fucking Cinderella, you're not even wearing glass heels."

"Not that, dickhead! I told Eunwoo to picked me up at seven but I couldn't remember where we came from. We're fucking lost in a park. Do you know the way outta this place?"

Minho shrugged. "This is my first time here." The cats were all confused too. Just like the owners, the cats were too dumb to find the way back to the front gate. The park was too big and dark at night, it was like a never ending maze. Plus, there's no signals so Eunwoo couldn't track Jisung's phone.

"We can't go anywhere this dark. We're just basically dragging ourselves further than where we came from," Jisung panicked.

"Looks like we're staying here."

┉┉


	8. 8

"Looks like we're staying here."

Jisung slapped his cheeks for the thousandth time.

Some part of him felt scared of being left alone without Eunwoo and the house workers. The other part of him was squealing like an idiot for having various thoughts about Minho and him together doing things.

"Fuck you dirty mind! Fuck you fanfictions!" He not so tragically rained himself with colorful vocabularies.

"Fuck you Minho!"

The mentioned boy hummed in response. "What did I do wrong this time?"

One: you came into my life with three fucking cats as your security guards and stepped on me like how those kpop idols smashed me in every comebacks. Two: your existence has damaged me physically and mentally because I can't get you out of my head, even when I'm sleeping.   
Three: you fucking recognized me when there's Cesar Millan and your presence caused this fucking heavenly incident.   
Four: you friendzoned me.

As if he could say that to his face.

Jisung kept getting deeper and deeper into his ocean of thoughts. He wanted to pour his minds out, but he's a fucking coward who decided to say, "You're breathing." to sum up his thoughts.

Minho was rather too busy preparing a decent place to sleep than to listen to Jisung. He wanted to build a small hut with whatever scraps he could find close by, but discarded the idea because he didn't want to get accused for messing with public place, hence the boy switched his hut idea to a small bench. Sadly the Gucci boy couldn't sleep on a wooden bench with his crippling old men-like backache. He was running out of ideas like how he usually does.

Poor Minho kept walking in circles, confused on how his brain stopped functioning when he needs it the most.

The sight of the four cats sleeping caught Minho's attention. Elizabeth the 3rd was sleeping in ease with his three cats slept on top of her side, forming a line. Jisung couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable seeing Minho who's intensely staring the cats.

He was reminded of Seungmin's creepy stalker stories, where once told a guy who was so in love with a beautiful rookie in his workplace. His mom told him to follow his dream, so he followed the lady everywhere. As time went by, things got worse. The guy was stalking her; when she was sleeping, bathing, eating, working, etcetera. Obviously the girl noticed the creepy stalker, but couldn't report him to the police because the guy kept sending her death threats. She ended up killing herself with bleach. Seungmin ended the story with the creepiest ending: he said that until now the stalker was still alive, he carefully watched her grave with lustful eyes. (holy shit that's actually a good plot LMAO)

Okay, back to the shit

Jisung let out several heavy yawns. "Are you gonna stare at those kitties until dawn? I'm getting sleepy and you're getting creepy. Holy crap that rhymes." He flopped his body onto the hard stony road, not daring to sleep directly on the grass due to hygiene issues.

Minho noticed the sleepy boy trying to sleep comfortably but couldn't. His inner caring side took control over his body, thus he sit next to the blonde with his legs crossed.

He patted his thigh several times until he caught Jisung's attention.

"What?"

"Here. Put your head on here." He patted his thigh one more time.

Jisung realized what the older meant and couldn't help but blushed. Lost in the park at night with Minho is one thing, but sleeping on his beautiful thighs is another thing. Damn, what a lucky bitch, he thought. Yes, he just referred himself as a bitch because self degrading is one hell of a hobby.

Minho waited for the younger to scoot his head but to no avail since Jisung.exe has stopped working.

On a sudden, Minho picked up Jisung's head, then placed it on his thighs. It was cold outside, but Jisung's head felt so warm on his thighs. Jisung thanked the darkness for hiding his flushed cheeks.

Boy, he's in heaven.

Automatically Minho ran his fingers through the sleepy boy's blonde hair. If Elizabeth the 3rd's fur is soft, Jisung's hair is much softer. He was wondering what kind of shampoo he was using to make it extremely soft and puffy.

Jisung couldn't sleep at all. He's too in love to be sleeping on his ultimate crush's thighs.

"You want me to sing a lullaby for you?" He caressed Jisung's forehead, down to his ears, cheeks, until his fingers finally reached his chin. He rubbed his chin softly with his hand, creating different shapes on his chest with his other hand.

He's basically petting Jisung.

"Yes please—I mean you can sing if you want to... totally up to you." He almost lost self control by having Minho's hands all over his face and under.

"Okay, let me think of a song." He paused for what it seemed like eternity for the eager Jisung. "Rock-a-bye dipshit on the burning wood..."

Jisung interrupted his singing. "You're making that up."

"I was just kidding, Sung-ie." Minho laughed happily while Jisung was too whipped to react. "You swear a lot, so I made the lyrics that would suit you."

"I hate you." He didn't, though.

"Sorry." He took a deep breath. "Rock-a-bye, baby on the treetop. When the wind blows... the cradle will rock. If the bough breaks... the cradle will fall. But hyung will catch you, cradle and all~"

"I didn't know you can sing so well. Too bad you got eliminated from the singing club's audition."

Minho just smiled. "That's okay, the club was full anyway." He then continued singing.

Jisung was mesmerized upon hearing the older's sweet singing. As if the sky wasn't dazzling enough for him to dive into. Below the sky, underneath the painting of nature, there's Lee Minho: a fucking masterpiece. Minho's voice was a drug, and he was the drug dealer. The only thing which prevents him from another dose of drug was his own sleepiness.

"Rock-a-bye baby... do not you fear. Never mind baby... hyung is near. Wee little fingers, eyes are shut tight. Now sound asleep until morning light~"

He planted a soft kiss on the forehead of the sleeping boy. Unlike those sneaky people on stories who pretends to sleep in moments like this, Jisung was falling into a deep slumber. His slightly parted lips let out little snores, filling the silence.

"Good night, Sung-ie..." Soon the said boy fell asleep himself.

┉┉

"Is this the boy you're looking for? He matched all the descriptions you had given me." A giant male took a closer step towards the two sleeping beauty, carefully examined the one's with Gucci.

"Yes, I believe that's Han Jisung and Oh my God I can't believe what I saw..." Eunwoo parted the other boy's bangs to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Well, he was utterly shocked. "Thanks, Bob. You can leave me here." Bob nodded in response, then left as he was told.

Without wasting another second, Eunwoo grabbed his phone from his pocket. Within seconds, he secretly took several pictures of his favorite ship in the whole universe. Sometimes he stopped doing his action just to look at his surroundings. He was just taking pictures, but it felt like he's watching porn in open space.

Eunwoo picked up the four sleeping cats, as they gradually woke up from his touch. The cats walked themselves towards their respective owner, tickling them in the process.

Being the first one awake, Minho nuzzled his head on the soft fur. "Good morning my babies." He yawned, stretching his body in the process. Cracks of previously tense muscles throughout his body creates a rhythmical morning song for the cats to hummed in. "Hey, Mr. Cha!" With his awful morning breath, he greeted the awkwardly smiling man.

"HOLY SHIT, ELIZABITCH WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" The younger finally woke up, accidentally threw Elizabeth the 3rd on the process. Thank God Eunwoo was fast to react.

Elizabeth the 3rd froze in utter fear. "What a great way to wake up, am I right?" Eunwoo wiggled his eyebrows in the most pervert way as possible.

"You fucker, I'll shove your ass with colorful pencils next time!"

"My ass would be the prettiest fucking rainbow in the whole world. Unlike you, I have nice ass. Not those petty silicons you're filling your asses with."

"Excuse me?! First of all my booties are fucking organic and nice. Second, those pencils will destroy your ass like how my future boyfriend will destroy mine!"

"What the fuck, I thought you're a switch..." Eunwoo stuck his tongue out in disgust. "You're still underage for all the fun grown-up stuff."

Minho couldn't believe his eyes. He just witnessed a teenage boy and a grown up man having a heated conversation between asses and pencils.

Minho gathered all his bravery to stood up between the two barking individuals. For a second he thought about contacting Cesar Millan but doesn't want to embarrass them. Plan B is to stop the fight with his body even though he's at risk of being smacked down by both sides.

Eunwoo scratched his slick hair, confused. "Minho, why are you standing?" Jisung was as confused as his personal assistant.

Minho cleared his throat, attempting to sound like Captain America. "I'm doing the right thing, which is to stop the fight." Jisung cringed in the process but also whipped. Minho as Captain America is one hell of a concept.

Not wanting to embarrass his crush in public place, he explained, "Hyung, this is our normal conversation. Please don't take it seriously." Eunwoo nodded. "Let's go home. Hyung, I'm giving you free hot bath as my thank you gift for yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" Eunwoo gasped dramatically.

"I said let's go home."

As said, the three humans and four cats went inside the red cadmium color coated car. The car was spacey enough to fit the citizen of China and India.

They didn't use the AC. Therefore as Eunwoo speed up the engine, the driver and all the passengers can enjoy the morning breeze. With birds chirping the euphonical songs of nature, Jisung felt like a newlywed waiting for the first night.

Jisung broke the peaceful silence himself. "What took you so long to find me? You can just search the whole garden for me."

"I can ask the same question for you," Eunwoo snickered.

"I could've died!" There goes the hyperbole.

"You looked happy, even when you're sleeping."

Oof.

Jisung was running out of defense statement. "You shouldn't have—Oh My God, is that Hyunjin?" He shook Minho's shoulder, finger pointing sharp at Hyunjin.

Minho looked outside, following his finger. "Yeah—why is he holding hands with whoever is that?!"

"Seungmin won't be happy about this."

┉┉


	9. 9

Days passed, time went by, people carried on with whatever life they're living in. Some people survived, some other died in the process.

Weekends have ended, school is back which is another week of survival and misery for Jisung.

He arrived school early to choose his own seat, which located at the very back of the class. Later he booked four other seats for his friends before those typical school's bitches steal them away. He ain't sitting next to the bitch, Britney.

Not even five minutes later, Britney and her group of basic bitches arrived as expected. The group consists of Britney, Madison, Vanessa, and Walmart. Jisung must admit; the Walmart was a cool girl who unfortunately got dragged to the cult by Vanessa without specific reason.

Britney squinted hey eyes. "If it isn't one of those weird freaks controlling seats again." She noticed Jisung's uncomfortable gaze. "All weird except for the Han's kid."

Leaving her group of friends talking with one another, she approached Jisung. Being a gentleman he is, Jisung stayed silent.

"Next time you decided to come this early, why don't you stop by on my place with your Lamborghini?" She snaked her arm onto Jisung's furry jacket. This is what happens when Jisung arrived early.

"There's no next time, babe. My Lambo is allergic to bitches with fake boobs." He swore that he heard Walmart laughing on the background.

"All men do is lie... why don't—"

"GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS AWAY FROM MY MAN!" Felix fly kicked her shiny stilettos, resulting an over dramatic fall from the girl.

Felix's arrival was followed by another batch of students, including his other friends. Felix has always been that guy who arrived first between 27 other students who arrives at the same time. The class was back to its fiasco mode.

"Thanks for saving my ass." Jisung bro-hugged his savior. Felix only gave him the 'you're welcome but you don't have an ass to begin with' kind of look.

The five of them (Jisung, Felix, Jeongin, Seungmin, and Hyunjin) then sit on their respective seats.

"Jeongin, can I borrow your homework?" Hyunjin casually asked the desert fox.

Jisung found it odd. Not because of Hyunjin's not doing his homework, he even forgot that there's one, but because Hyunjin's asking for Jeongin's homework, not Seungmin's.

"I thought Jeongin's homework is mine, not yours. You got Seungmin, I'm pretty sure he has finished the devil's work." Felix took Jeongin's notebook, protecting the item like it's the most precious jewel on earth. Jeongin put on his earphones to avoid the adult's talk, though they're all still minors.

"But I want Jeongin's homework!" he demanded.

Seungmin murmured from his seat, "Leave it, that's your karma you piece of wobbly dick." Seungmin's annoyance caught Jisung's attention. The sweet boy never swears on daily basics. Fortunately Hyunjin failed to notice Seungmin's spicy words.

Something must've happened to the unofficial couple, and he could only think of the girl whom he saw yesterday with Hyunjin. It makes sense now.

The bell rang with the most annoying sound effect. Mr. D walked into the classroom with a random chick next to him who held her head low. The whole class immediately returned to their seats, pretending to pay attention.

"Good morning, you smelly kids. Today y'all smell like curiosity, so let me introduce you to the new student..." The new student neither acknowledged her calling nor looking up. "I mean... let the new student introduce herself! Come on, Chum Bucket! I mean nobody." He signaled the girl.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Chunhua Shunsuke. I came to Korea three days ago. I'm half Chinese-half Japanese." When Chunhua lifted her head, Jisung almost passed out.

She's the girl from yesterday.

"Well, Ms. Shunsuke, you can sit on the empty seat next to Yang Jeongin." Apparently, the seat next to Jeongin is the seat in front of Jisung.

Jeongin greeted the new girl with his cute smile. "Hi, I'm Jeongin." Chunhua stayed silent.

Shunsuke? More like Sasuke for Felix.

"Rood," Felix snickered while munching a bar of snicker.

Jisung could feel the tense atmosphere that this girl gives. He never witnessed Hyunjin being so quiet before.

Mr. D suddenly turned his volume up. "Okay, class. The result of your midterm exam is out! The list is printed on the school's billboard, you can check the ranking after this period." He wrote something on the whiteboard. "Books out, today we'll be learning about World War cause I feel like attacking someone lately."

A boy who everyone identified as the teacher's pet raised his hand. "Sir, what about homework?" No one could remember his name, not even the teacher.

"Small dick, no one likes you." Jisung rolled his eyes, as he was one of the students who didn't do his homework.

Mr. D stared at Unknown in disappointment. "You know, I've been pretending to forget your homework cause I don't feel like checking it." Unknown nervously gulped. "Now I don't feel like teaching. You guys can do anything you want as long as it's still my shift, except you." He pointed his finger to Unknown. "I'm giving you homeworks cause doing homeworks is your passion."

With freedom within their grasps, the whole students (except for Chunhua) ran towards the school's billboard, but not Jisung. He could already feel his own failure by the tip of his tongue.

He decided to approach the new girl.

He sit his ass on her table. "Hey, Chum! I'm Jisung, call me Lord Jisung."

She yelped in pain since her hands were smashed by Jisung's butt. "Uh... hi?"

"You're so quiet for a girl, are you taken?" Jisung moved his face closer to the girl. He didn't feel pressured to do these things because he's gay and whipped.

"That's none of your business."

They were sharing an intense staring contest until the sound of fallen cheese sticks filling the atmosphere.

"Holy tampons, I thought you're gay..." Felix dropped a handful of cheese sticks.

"This is not what it looks like!" Both Jisung and Chunhua shouted at the Australian.

"Explain."

Jisung and Chunhua then spent the rest of school hours on the rooftop, explaining the whole misunderstandings to Felix.

When they returned back to class, it's already the last period. They didn't realize that they've spent too much time explaining what's unneeded to be explained.

"Okay, please stand in line." The leader of the class: Hwang Yeji, which also known to be Hyunjin's long lost twin, was busy dealing with the noisy students.

"What the fuck is happening?" Jisung followed Yeji's instructions.

"The principal's about to announce the most awaited school program, as what I was informed. Now I just need to stop this chaos and get them all to the auditorium." She wiped her running sweats from her temple.

"I'll help you." Jisung then stood on top of the teacher's table. "LISTEN TO ME BROS AND WHORES! IF Y'ALL WOULD FOLLOW YEJI'S INSTRUCTIONS, FREE IPHONE 11 PRO FOR YOU AND YOUR EX!!"

The previously chaotic classroom turned quiet somehow. They all followed Yeji's instructions as promised.

As soon as Jisung walked down from the table, Felix rained him with kisses all over his face. "Thanks, mate! I've been waiting for one of your giveaways. I love you but no homo." Jisung felt his face getting wet, so he stopped his best friend's platonic kisses to prevent faulty rumors. The two walked to the auditorium on a slow pace, leaving the classroom.

Little did they know, Britney was still lying on the ground with broken stilettos.

The moment Jisung and Felix arrived at the school's auditorium, they could spot students from every grade. He even spotted Minho sitting in the middle of the pack with Changbin. His cheeks suddenly turned hot just by seeing his crush for the first time of the day.

Felix looked at Jisung then switched his gaze, following Jisung's loving gaze. "Bro, why are you—damn he's hot!" Felix also blushed after seeing Changbin. "Never felt gayer."

Jeongin saw his two friends standing frozen on the entrance, so he stopped the two from embarrassing themselves.

"Hyung! We're on the same group!" Jeongin hugged the two.

"What group?" Felix eyebrows were twitching in anticipation, Jisung too.

"Fuck! We always missed the good shit." Jisung gritted his teeth. Jeongin tried to calm the blonde.

Jeongin explained, "I was at the toilet when the principal announced the program. When I came back, we're already got separated into groups." He shrugged. "Sorry, it's a big poop."

"How did you know we're in the same group?" Jisung stared the younger.

"Chan-hyung said that we're on the same group and gave me this." He handed the paper, which Jisung immediately took it.

"Bang Chan, Kim Woojin, Lee Minho, Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Felix, Han Jisung, Yang Jeongin..." Jisung carefully read each of the member's name, though his eyes only focused on one name. He's pleased with the members.

He continued to read the paper. It was okay until he discovered the group name...

Straight kids?

┉┉


	10. 10

Straight kids?

"That's bullshit, everyone knows I'm gay." Felix plopped his head on Jeongin's always available shoulder.

"Stop hurting the baby!" Seungmin lifted Felix's head from the younger.

Ever since Jeongin informed both Jisung and Felix about this group they're in, Chan gathered them all in an empty building after school hour has finished.

Jisung couldn't help but question, "First of all, why the fuck are we in a haunted house?" He looked around, hoping to find Pizza Hut, but didn't find any. "Second, why are we gathering here? We ain't Phineas and Ferb... but you remind me of Phineas." Jisung pointed at Changbin who was busy scrolling down his phone, hoping to find any flash sale.

"Ohh, I love watching Phineas and Ferb! My favorite character happens to be Phineas sooo... wink wonk." Felix winked a little too aggressively, Jisung almost had nightmares looking at it.

"Did you seriously just said wink wonk? Isabella, you're not hilarious." Jisung looked at his best friend in disgust. Minho only laughed watching the two boys fighting.

"It does exactly what it says on the tin." Felix dabbed, apparently dabbing is still cool, he thought.

Jisung rolled his eyes. "Did you just use Ronseal's phrase?"

"It's a catchy phrase."

"But you ain't catchy."

Chan purposely faked an old man's cough to stop the ongoing soon to be drama. He caught everyone's attention. Even Changbin stopped looking at his phone, about to give up with the flash sale.

Chan made an awkward smile, looking at the eight boys who were staring at him. "You want explanation, I'll give you the explanation you need."

"Spill it, Martha." Felix was not in the mood anymore.

Chan nodded. "So, the principal gave us—I mean the whole students this program that we should do." Chan changed his voice to make the unnecessary high pitched girly voice and asked himself, "But what should we do, Chan senpai?"

Chan went low again. "In order to promote our school, we're holding a festival... sorta. Anygay, we got seperated into groups to perform or do anything to fulfill their needs. Since I have this kind of authority for being a perfect human being, I made the group, this group to be exact."

He did the high pitched voice again. "You're lying, Senpai. I don't trust you." His voice went higher and pitchy. "Yeah, Christopherina-chan is right. Tell us the whole story!"

And so he did.

It was back to the school's auditorium. Chan was sitting in the front seat next to Walmart. Not sharing a conversation since he saw Vanessa staring angrily from the back row.

The awkwardness ended after the principal started talking. "Good afternoon everybody."

"Good afternoon Mr. Jung!"

"Let me make this announcement as short as possible." He adjusted his collar. "As you all may noticed, our school is getting short in students registration for the upcoming years. Therefore we're holding an open festival to promote our school. This method is always proven to be working when it comes to gaining popularity. So I want you to create groups consisting of 5-10 people, but you have to mix the member from every classes. Any questions?"

A student raised his hand, then stood up after he was given his cue. "Sir, can I make a group of 21 people? I mean... there's a lot of people here." He returned back to his seat.

"Unfortunately, it can only be up to 10 people maximum so we'll have a lot of groups with different concepts," Mr. Jung explained thoroughly.

"But—"

He cut him off in the most respectful way as possible. "No, Qian Kun. I've made it clear enough. You have to make a smaller group." Mr. Jung looked back at the whole students. "Any other questions?"

Another male student raised his hand. He stood up once Mr. Jung gave him permission to talk. "I'm sorry for my friend, Sir. I strongly believe he mispronounced 23. What do you think about 23 people within a group, Sir?"

"Our group member might increase, though. You should've said 50 so we're in a safe spot," whispered the senior who's sitting beside him.

Mr. Jung inhaled a breath of patience. "Shotaro, haven't I made my points clear? I want you to create groups consisting of 5-10 people," he emphazed the critical points he had mentioned beforehand.

Silence.

"Okay, I guess it's clear enough. Don't forget to submit your paper with your group name and member's name. Thank you for your attention." He dissappeared just like that.

As fast as possible, Chan grabbed a crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket. He wrote his name first as the leader of the group.

"That Jeongin guy, he's cute... so yes. Woojin is a hard worker, yes. I wanna get to know the silent guy (Changbin), yes. I've known Jisung for a long time, big fat yes. The rest will be his friends and his crush so he'll have a reason to be active. Hell yeah, I just made superheroes. Chaddy, you're amazing..." Chan continued to whisper to himself, earning a confused look by Walmart.

"Group name... let's just make it realistic." He swirled his pencil back and forth. "Woojin has a physical girlfriend... last time I'm in a relationship it's a she. Jeongin acts like he's not into men. Felix and Jisung are definitely gay. Three versus two, we're straight. Straight kids it is." He wrote the group name before anybody could comprehend with the situation they were in.

"That's how we're in the same group." Chan finished his story. Hyunjin and Minho fell asleep during the whole storytelling thing.

Jisung face-palmed so hard, he almost performed a back flip.

"That's the dumbest group naming idea I've heard." He pulled out an energy bar from nowhere, then taking a bite. "I can't believe my father often form alliance with your father's company, knowing that his firstborn generalized us as straight and took us to an abandoned warehouse."

Felix mumbled loud enough for the others to hear. "You said that you decided to incorporate Jisung's friends and his crush so he'll participate... so one of us is his crush? Oh, right. I already know who his crush is," Felix teased his friend.

"Shut up, Yongbok."

Jeongin calmed the blonde. "Hyung, don't be too shabby." He stroked Jisung's shoulder.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He swatted Jeongin's hand. He did an 'ow' in response. "What? Don't tell me you're straight too..."

"I don't know," he admitted.

Seungmin hissed at Jisung's behavior. "Don't act rude! He's just trying to calm your tits down." He pulled Jeongin to his lap, gently placing soft kisses on his sweater. The younger giggled happily, showing his cute braces. Chan almost melt by the sight in front of him.

"Well then, thanks Christopherina for the information." Jisung snarled.

Chan pulled out an awkward smile. "By the way we're not in a haunted house. I bought this empty building for our basecamp—or headquarter. Up to you."

"It looks shady. I mean... you have a shit tons amount of money and you got us this? Christopherina, I know you're better than this." Jisung lied his body onto the cold marble. "I'm leaving. I have hundreds of iPhones to buy. See you later, mediocre dicks!"

Let's just say on that time, Jisung was feeling quite salty. More salty than his usual saltiness. Maybe because Minho's sleeping that caused him this terrible emotional state.

He was about to leave. Felix and Chan begged him to stay, but well, he missed his hot assistant and his full of initiative maid. Clearly not missing Elizabeth the 3rd at all. That cat is a spawn of devil.

He was too focused on giving everyone the 'bye bitches' hair flip, but he stumbled at the process. Karma hit him on the face, and so the boy fell. He expected to be met face to face with the cold marble, instead he was welcomed by a pair soft lips on his nose. His nose was physically eaten by the owner of the lips.

Jisung winced in pain. "My nose..." He froze upon seeing the creature who's eating his nose. "Minho?"

"Upmhh..." the said boy opened his eyes after a squirrel-like boy interrupted his sleep. Without wasting another breath, he pushed Jisung's body away from his. "Holy kittens, your nose is wet and so are my lips... holy squirrels I'm drooling."

Jisung's body flew away. He felt weightless after being touched by the love of his life. The other could only watch the lovely scene, mesmerized by the sight.

"My virgin nose has vanished." Jisung continuously touch his nose while Minho was coughing madly after learning the truth.

Jisung stood up again, attempting to leave again. Not even trying to flip his hair this time.

When he looked back for the last time, Chan and Felix were trying to hold their laughter, Hyunjin was still sleeping peacefully, Jeongin and Seungmin were enjoying their time, Changbin's face was glued to his phone, Woojin was secretly chatting his girlfriend. Meanwhile Minho was blushing. It was a rare sight for Jisung, still thinking that Minho's straight.

Not for long, Ken doll. Jisung was feeling smug after escaping the building. For him, it was victorious.

"Friends no more, future hubby~"

┉┉


	11. 11

"Excuse me, aren't you a little young to order a truck of iPhones?" A man gave Jisung a pen and a piece of paper.

Jisung signed at the bottom of the paper. "Yes, yes I am."

The man understood, then proceeded to drive the truck once it's loaded. Eunwoo gave the driver a list of addresses for the driver to send the iPhones to.

"Make sure you send them to the right address. I'll keep a track on you." Jisung waved the man his good bye.

In seconds, the man disappeared along with the truck. Obviously because he's the one driving the vehicle, duh.

After the whole iPhone thing has settled, Jisung and Eunwoo returned back to the Han's mansion.

The ride was silent unlike usual. It reminded Eunwoo about the day when his boss met Minho for the first time on the school gate. The silence bothered Eunwoo a lot. He got bored quite easily, so for him driving without being accompanied by his chatty boss is disturbing.

He broke the awful silence. "What were you thinking about buying so many iPhones as a guarantee?"

Jisung was deep in thought. "She seemed extremely troubled. Nobody listened to her, and the best way to gain people's attention is to offer something."

Eunwoo couldn't help but laugh at Jisung's words. "Since when do you have a heart?"

"Yah, I have a big fat heart!" He pointed at his chest as if Eunwoo could see through his skin. "I'm gay as fuck but I have a soft spot for girls, not bitches of course." He recalled having Britney's hand all over his back, it disgusts him to the fullest.

"Well well... I'm highkey wishing to be a girl right now, so you'll have a soft spot for me." Eunwoo did an aegyo while making a sharp turn. King of multitasking.

"Stop having grotesque facial distortions, you swine." Jisung stuck his tongue out, pretending to puke. "Focus on the road, I'll focus on my nap."

People like Britney would think that Jisung and Eunwoo's friendship is weird, but for them it's perfect. Purrfect, as Elizabeth the 3rd would probably say.

Bitches like Britney would also think that Jisung is just a lazy ass teenager with nothing to do but to spend his father's money and living his life to the fullest inside his mansion. No, you're wrong.

Despite having his best life, Jisung was full of responsibilities. Just like they said, "With great power, comes great electricity bill." And the electricity bill we're talking about is in a form of his dad's orders.

Jisung was bundled with whatever's shit his father also deals with.

Jisung couldn't sleep. Not because of the car movement, he's used to it after all. He had plans to do, but his vibrating phone kept bothering him. The person who's responsible for causing vibration on his butt was no other than Jumin Han. Jisung picked up the phone with the heaviest sigh.

"What?"

"I believe we've discussed enough regarding manners while talking on the phone." Jumin shook his head in disappointment which Jisung couldn't see.

"Blimey! Pardon me, Sir. But could you please tell me yer wishes so I can poof them all for ye? I have yet fulfilled my dearest desire to sleep thyself and I also have to busy myself in sketching fancy vignettes, hence prithee, Mr. Jumin Han, pick up yer pace." Jisung randomly poured out a list of archaic vocabularies, although he doesn't know the way to arrange those words together in attempt to make a proper sentence that would please all the grammar nazis out there.

"I did not expect this kind of outcome." Jumin cleared his throat. "Jokes over. The reason I'm calling you is because I need you to sign some papers on my desk."

He was disappointed but not surprised. "Would you mind to explain the amount of some you're talking about? I mean—we have different preferences as two divergent beings."

"About 500 papers."

Again, he was disappointed but not surprised. "Well then, Adios!"

At this moment he just wanted to finish his job and go to sleep.

They have arrived at the Han's mansion. Bambam cheerfully welcomed his two favorite person with a long ass red carpet.

"Welcome, handsome tall guy and his yellow head boss! Fancy a tea?" Bambam offered two cups of tea for each boys, which got rejected by Eunwoo. Bambam almost cried, until Jisung decided to sip both teas.

Eunwoo and Jisung both walked with their heads up high. Bambam swore that he saw Eunwoo turned his head just to give him the usual evil grin. He looked at Bambam with the 'I want soda right now' look. Eunwoo likes to mock the other house workers since he's Jisung's favorite. They both enjoy each other's company.

Jisung went to Jumin's desk to grab the needed 500 sheets. His skinny legs continued to travel to his bedroom.

"Holy tantrums, blowups, paroxysm, Elizabeth the 3rd, and whatnots!" Jisung felt his legs limping due to utter shock by the view in front of him.

There laid Lee Minho, scrounging Elizabeth the 3rd's scattered furs in his skinny jeans. Illegal clothing, Jisung thought. That's definitely Korea's ass, as he pictured Minho as Captain Korea with Elizabeth the 3rd as his shield. What a concept.

Jisung's sanity left him tout de suite. (y'all i should probably stop playing with words)

Upon noticing the younger's entrance, Minho immediately covered himself with a well arranged self defense statement. "BAMBAM ALLOWED ME IN."

"That genius bastard, I'll kill him one day."

Minho calmed the younger down by stroking his back up and down. Jisung's body felt weak by the touch, thus he almost fell on the ground.

Almost.

With great reflex, Minho caught the falling boy. The time suddenly stopped. Their body were so close, Minho could even see his own reflection on Jisung's eyes.

Their face kept inching forward as each second went by. Both of them seemed to be engrossed in the moment. Jisung closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss to happen.

Instead, Minho just smiled.

If Jisung opened his eyes, he would most likely be a melting ice cream.

Jisung was stuck in the moment between opening his eyes to witness reality or stay in the darkness of fantasy. Nevertheless, he's happy either ways as long as he's with Minho.

Taking advantage of the moment, Minho went closer. His lips scooted closer to the blonde's right ear.

"Too soon," he whispered softly, nearly inaudible. Lips still brushing to Jisung's ear as he speak.

This time Jisung purposely threw his body away—a little too harshly perhaps, so now he's lying on the floor. A loud thud was heard, echoing through the massive room.

The door banged open, revealing Eunwoo and the house's medic team. "I'm just trying to take a piss and you passed out. Just great." His eyes met Minho's confused one. "Let me guess, you're the culprit and you're gonna blame Bambam for letting you in on the first place. Fair enough. Young lovebirds tend to blame others these days."

"We're not lovebirds." Jisung's breathy voice made Minho feels bad.

"Yeah yeah whatever... let's just check your condition and sign those papers." Eunwoo signaled the medic team to take action. "I think it's better for you to leave now. Our young boss needs to concentrate. BAMBAM, GUIDE HIM OUT!"

Bambam came out of the closet with the most evil grin, leading the guest to the front door. Of course, he didn't forget to close the door.

Jisung coughed several times to gain Eunwoo's attention. In which Eunwoo understood his cue, then put his ear close to Jisung's mouth.

"We're not lovebirds..." Jisung whispered to his assistant's ear. "We're soon to be lovecats." His eyes sparked in excitement.

Elizabeth the 3rd meowed enthusiastically from afar.

"OH SHUT UP ELIZABITCH!"

┉┉

Before Bambam close the door, he winked at Minho.

"In case you need advice, contact me. I know all his weaknesses." He willingly gave his number to Minho, which he gladly received.

"Why do I need to know that?" Minho was doubtful, but he still listened to the maid.

Bambam did another seductive wink. "You're gonna need that one day."

"What?"

┉┉


	12. 12

It's two in the morning and Jisung was still in his room; signing papers, arranging documents, check and recheck, and repeat the cycle 500 times while suffering from nosebleed.

For a rookie like Jisung, doing his father's work is one of the hardest obstacles in life. Especially when his nose kept discharging an unhealthy amount of blood. At certain times, he had to stop doing his job so the papers won't get soaked by the overflowing blood.

Not trying to exaggerate things, but his nose bleeds every once a week. Sometimes due to stress, some other remains a mystery.

Accompanied with heartbreaking playlist warbling in the background, he signed the last piece of paper with a sense of accomplishment.

"I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT!" He stretched his arms. "ELIZABITCH, DID YOU SEE THAT?" He looked at Elizabeth the 3rd, only to be disappointed after that.

"Be hard worker, they said. They'll acknowledge you, they said. But whenever it happened, no one is there to see me." He kept mumbling over a sleeping cat. "My life is a lie."

"If only Minho is here... of course he'll be proud." He closed in eyes in frustration.

"Too soon," he whispered softly, nearly inaudible. Lips still brushing to Jisung's ear as he speak.

"Too soon, huh? I bet you'll keep torturing this love sick boy until Elizabeth dies. Ughh... if only Jumin's allergic to cats, that fur ball will be dead in a snap." At this point Jisung was losing his mind. "If only I could kiss you~" Delusional, that's the best word to describe Jisung's current state of mind.

"Rock-a-bye baby... do not you fear. Never mind baby... hyung is near. Wee little fingers, eyes are shut tight. Now sound asleep until morning light~"

And then it was dark.

┉┉

"Young Master, it's time to wake up."

"Five minutes." Jisung pulled out his palm to emphasize the number five.

Eunwoo was getting impatient. In result, he stuffed a tampon in each nostrils and a raw chicken in his mouth. He expected the boy to puke, sad to say that the boy's proven to be resistant.

"Five minutes, you said. If you didn't procrastinate you should be at school by now."

"Thwmws smzchlf?!" The sleeping boy finally arised from his luxurious seat. He spitted the chicken on the process.

"THERE'S SCHOOL?!" Jisung fell on the ground, screeching from his chronic backache. "Holy shit I forgot that I'm still alive."

Eunwoo offered his hand. "Do you need help?"

Jisung yanked the tampons off his nose. "The documents! I need to send them before I go to school."

"Well, you better hurry up cause you have school." Eunwoo collected the well organized documents and gave it to one of the house worker for it to be taken care of.

Even with crippling backache, Jisung managed to do combat shower and swallow his porridge in ten minutes. All he knew was that he has arrived at school, as Eunwoo opened the car door for him. He still had time to catch up.

Two minutes remaining. He fixed his watch then Usain Bolt himself to the classroom.

"This is the worst day of my life. Nothing can be worse than this..." Jisung mentally babbled to himself with pure hatred growing inside his chest.

On his way to class, Jisung accidentally bumped someone for being too hasty. He felt his head broken into pieces as he tried to regain his composure.

"Ouch." Jisung's piercing snivel shrilled through the quiet hallway. He looked up only to be met with a familiar pair of eyes.

"Chunhua? What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Poor boy, he wasted his precious two minutes with an unfortunate encounter.

Chunhua took her time to fix her wrinkled space blue pleated skirt (the one with pleats arranged around the waistband).

They stood up together, surprisingly cohesive.

"Let me take a wild card..." Jisung pulled something from his pocket. "You don't know we're late, do you?"

She gasped while narrowing her legs together. "We're late? I thought it's Sunday and I was about to go home."

He couldn't help but leave the girl for her stupidity. "Time is a fucked up thing, kiddo. Next time, do buy the most updated calendar." He spitted out those words, knowing that he couldn't swallow them. He was exactly like her.

She followed him from behind.

"Now we're late, thanks to you, dummy. I hate you." Dummy was the most subtle curse word he could give to her since he has a soft spot for girls, although he just declared his hatred towards her beforehand.

To their amusement, the teacher's also late. Hence their lateness went by unnoticed.

Jeongin was absent that day, thus far the seating position changed itself. Jisung was now sitting alone. He was supposed to seat next to Felix while Chunhua was supposed to be the one's seating alone, but the girl's got lucky.

Felix was about to switch his seat to his regular position, until a hand stopped him from moving backwards. It was his own best friend's hand.

Jisung looked around. Hyunjin and Seungmin weren't sitting together as usual. Hyunjin's seating next to Walmart while Seungmin's seating next to Yeji. It was a bizarre thing to do for them. Hyunjin never spoke to Walmart, let alone breathe around her. Same goes for Seungmin and Yeji. Why would they exchange seats so randomly?

"Felix, I love you so much but please let me sit next to Chunhua for once." He stood up, strolling his legs to the desired seat.

"You're abandoning me for Sasuke?" Felix couldn't believe his ears but obeyed nonetheless. "Weird flex but okay." He was a chill dude after all.

Jisung adjusted himself next to the new girl. "I need to ask you on something," he softly whispered to Chunhua's right ear. She nodded in response.

"What is your relationship with Hyunjin?" Her facial expression changed upon hearing the name. She looked somewhat hesitant but tried her best not to.

"It's complicated."

┉┉

"You know the reason I gathered you all here, right?" Chan opened the discussion while offering fried bananas to the seven boys surrounding him (minus Jeongin).

They were back to the base camp which located on the outskirts of the city. A twenty minutes drive from Jisung's mansion using Eunwoo's usual speed.

Seungmin and Hyunjin still haven't shared a single conversation, and the spacious building didn't serve them justice. Jisung once again found himself deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?" Minho's voice surprised him. He thought that he's Felix. In reality, Felix was fanboying over Phineas impersonation. Bros before hoes, if it was that easy, Jisung thought. His hoe happened to be a handsome cat lover who enjoys popping up out of nowhere.

Jisung laughed nervously, sweats dripping down to his forehead to his chin, until the liquid reached its finish line. In a flash, Minho moved his slender finger to catch it like how kids randomly touch raindrops. 

Minho's thumb gently rubbed Jisung's chin, then moved upwards to rub all the wetness away from his face. The sudden warmth caught Jisung off guard, thus he pushed him away for the second time to hide his flushed face.

That hoe named Minho won't give up yet. Jisung didn't know this boy's true intentions, that's why he kept his touch away from him.

To be honest, Minho just loves to take care of his important ones. He ain't trying to play with Jisung's emotions. But for now, he made himself look like he's doing what he didn't intend to do.

"I thought we're good, but why do I feel like you're still avoiding me?" Minho snaked his hands again. This time, he didn't push the boy again.

Jisung was surprisingly calm this time. "It's just..." He stopped his words upon feeling the older's hands petting him. He felt weak as he got engrossed in his touch. He closed his eyes to savor the moment.

"Just what?" Minho's calmness made Jisung happy. He mewled as the older was busy petting him like a cat. Maybe he has found his weakness. The rich unapproachable guy like Jisung was curling his body to Minho as if he's a cat. A clingy one, of course.

Jisung purred as he snuggled his head to Minho's to make himself comfortable. Each touch feels like heaven. He's good, was all that he could think.

He tried to finish his words. "It's just... I have my own reasons."

Minho ended his cat massage to Jisung's displeasure. Jisung has already gone too attached to the touch. He wanted more. He became addicted.

Body often reacts before the mind. In Jisung's case, he caught Minho's hand harshly, avoiding him to retreat them. Jisung's harsh movement caused Minho's body to tremble, hence his phone fell from his front pocket. He's holding to his hand so tightly but his eyes traveled down to his phone.

"You have a new phone?" Jisung took a glance at the brand new iPhone 11 Pro.

Minho chuckled in embarrassment. "Yeah, Chunhua gave it to me."

"Huh?"

"I'll help you." Jisung then stood on top of the teacher's table. "LISTEN TO ME BROS AND WHORES! IF Y'ALL WOULD FOLLOW YEJI'S INSTRUCTIONS, FREE IPHONE 11 PRO FOR YOU AND YOUR EX!!"

"Don't tell me..." Jisung stared deep into Minho's eyes. Almost everyone in his class had been in a relationship before, so most of them have ex or exes. The only forever single one is Jisung and his friends. Or so as he remembered, though he didn't know how many of them are keeping secrets behind his back.

Crap.

┉┉


	13. 12.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (SPECIAL CHAPTER): Chunhua and Minho's Past.

Three years ago.

The sky couldn't get darker than this.

A minute ago, it was all rays and sunshines, but the time Chunhua stepped her foot on the sidewalk, the sky frowned and started to cry on the previously quiet city.

Chunhua didn't fear rain. In fact, she enjoyed having her clothes drenched, her hair showered, her body moisturized, and the list goes on. Occasionally, she would dance alone in the vaporous atmosphere, then suffered from common cold in the aftermath.

But not today.

Today was her worst day. Not like her daily lives were great after all. For Chunhua, being able to sleep well at the end of the day would be absolute heaven for her, whereas it's one of the rarest occasion ever happened in her 14 years of living.

Her family was bundled with unpaid debts. Therefore she had to take part in order to help her family lifts up their quality of life.

But today she has lost her mother by the rising numbers of organized crime groups in South Korea. It's never easy to live in a foreign country, especially when you're short in incomes, just like the case of the Shunsuke's family.

Chunhua had been crying for hours. She decided to quit school and her dance academy since she didn't have enough money to pay them all. She only had an outdated phone within her. Hyunjin had been calling her for the ninth time of the day, asking about her departure from the dance academy, but she couldn't care less. She wanted to leave the boy. She wanted to move on.

She wanted to end everything here; on the road, underneath the rain. She wanted to end it all.

Her body fell limp as she found a bench for her to sit on. She was trembling. Although the rain kept washing away the tears, her eyes continued to pour more of them.

The rain can hide her tears, but it can't wipe her sadness away.

"If only I bring my umbrella..." She cried so much that her head hurts. But nothing hurts like a piercing sword in the heart. She was grieving over her beloved mother's death.

She had lost half of her life. She had lost her umbrella when the rain is pouring.

Behind the silence, the rain suddenly stopped. Chunhua looked up, only to be met with the most welcoming generous smile. A boy appeared out of nowhere to protect her from the heavy rain with his umbrella.

"What a pretty girl like you doing in the rain all by yourself?" The boy wiped her leftover tears from her cheeks. Usually she would run away when a stranger approached her with flattering words and touched her without her permission. This time is different.

"Thank you." was all her mouth could say, but it was enough.

The boy smiled upon hearing those words. "By the way, my name's Lee Minho. What's yours?" He offered his right hand, while his left hand was still gripping the umbrella tightly.

"Chunhua." She accepted his hand and shook it with a slight smile. It was her first time smiling that day.

"Now that's the smile I'm looking for."

That's how it all begun.

┉┉

Ever since their first encounter, Chunhua has gotten closer to Minho. They shared laughter and memories together. Several months later, they confessed their feelings and began dating every since.

Minho was Chunhua's savior. He helped her a lot during her hardest time. He even suggested Chunhua to study since she has quitted school. He taught her everything he learned at school, so the girl could catch up. On weekends, they would spent their day inside a cat hotel, taking care of cats when their owner is away either from vacation or important trip.

They're always so close, they never feel distant towards one another. At least that's how it was in the beginning. Their closeness didn't last long.

┉┉

One year after they confessed their feelings.

Minho arrived home after a long day. Chunhua was sitting on his front porch, waiting patiently for the boy. They were supposed to have another movie night in Minho's but the boy was too busy with his school's project and his dance practice.

Chunhua welcomed the boy to his own house. "Hey, where have you been?" Her skinny legs were freezing behind her baby blue skirt.

Minho opened the door with his keys. "I'm sorry. I've been busy this whole time. I didn't mean to keep you waiting here but my phone got stolen, so I can't inform you." He sheltered the girl with his jacket.

Ever since Minho passed an audition for entering a dance academy, his life turned upside down. He would usually arrived home late at night after a long journey from the academy which located far away from his place.

"Tea?" Minho offered his girlfriend which she gladly accepted. They rarely met now, it's a saddening truth for both of them.

Chunhua plopped her body onto Minho's soft cushion, turning on the television.

"How's the academy so far?" She asked his boyfriend while sipping a hot Hibiscus tea.

"Great. I've met nice and talented people there. There's this one guy named Hyunjin who I think is incredibly talented and ahead of everyone else."

Chunhua choked on her tea.

"H-hyunjin?" The name Hyunjin caught her off guard. Minho never told her which academy he's entering, she didn't expect it to be her old ones.

Minho nodded. "Yes, Hwang Hyunjin. Do you know him?" He patted Chunhua's back softly so she'll stop coughing.

"No, not at all."

┉┉

Their relationship continued to cease as time went by. They rarely met, nor sharing a warm conversation.

One day Chunhua went to Minho's room to pay a surprise visit. She was welcomed by a beautiful tall woman by the front door. She wanted to have a serious discussion with Minho.

She went to Minho's bedroom only to find the boy's watching a gay movie so intensely.

When Minho realized that Chunhua has been standing there, he immediately turned off the television with a panicked look plastered on his face.

Minho didn't expect to see Chunhua laughing her ass off.

"It's okay, Minho. Keep watching."

Minho signaled the girl to sit next to him on the edge of his bed. She followed him.

Minho cleared his throat. "You must be here for a reason. Tell me." He stretched his muscles, waiting for the girl to talk.

"I wanna end things here." She stared at Minho's eyes. "Our relationship. Let's end it."

Minho listened, mouth agape with incredulity.

"Why?"

Chunhua tapped Minho's shoulder to relax him. "I've been thinking lately." Her eyes wondered around Minho's room. "One: you made me smile. Two: you gave me your umbrella. Three: you taught me everything I didn't know."

Minho was beyond confused. "That doesn't explain the reason you dumped me."

"Minho, you're a nice person. The nicest one I've ever met after my mom. But I'm not like that at all. I'm a bad person. I'm a bitch, a slut, a whore, I'm the worst person ever existed on the planet." Chunhua felt her warm tears running down to her cheeks again. Minho's hands were fast. He wiped them away.

"Don't ever degrade yourself."

"Thanks, Minho. You're such an angel, I don't deserve you." She sniffled as she tried to speak. But Minho was patient. He let her talk.

"There's more about me that you didn't know. I have secrets and I can't tell you that. That's why I never felt like myself when I'm around you." She let out another round of tears and continued, "I thought being in a relationship with you will change me. But I'm still like this. I felt bad for using you, I don't mean to."

He wrapped his hand around her. "Shh... I know."

She continued, "Our relationship will forever be platonic. We care about each other, but as I saw you each day... I know I'm not the one. We're not each other's fate..."

"You gave me your umbrella because you're a nice guy. If thousands of people are suffering the same thing as I did, of course you're gonna give them the exact amount of umbrellas. You've been living your life that way. But who's gonna give you an umbrella when you need one? You're raining alone this whole time, even if you're with me. And I can't withstand that reality. You're hurting yourself too much."

Minho blandly stated, "If that's the case, wouldn't it be wrong to leave me alone in the rain?"

"No." Chunhua pulled Minho's face for a kiss. They warmed each other's lips as they kissed in ease. It wasn't a kiss filled with lust nor sweetness. It was more of a good bye kiss for them. Their last one.

Chunhua ended the kiss as she tried to catch her breath.

"You don't like the kiss, right? It felt somewhat wrong, didn't it?" Minho was confused by Chunhua's words but he listened nevertheless.

"Find someone that will make you happy. Find someone whose lips taste better, the one that makes you crave for more. It doesn't matter if it's a she or he. I'm happy as long as you're happy. Unfortunately, I'm not your source of happiness, we're just twisted." She got up from his bed, preparing to go home.

Minho held her hand. "Wait." She turned his direction back to Minho.

"I'm glad I gave you my umbrella that time. I'm glad that I confessed my feelings to you. For everything that happens, I'm glad for each moment." Minho opened the door for Chunhua. "Farewell, Chunhua."

At this moment Minho couldn't exactly understand all the informations he was given, though he believed that he'll understand everything when it's time.

He trusted Chunhua, thus he let her go.

Chunhua smiled at the boy. She was glad that they both could comprehend with the situation very well.

"Thanks for saving me."

┉┉


	14. 13

"You okay there?"

A hand slapped Jisung's cheek, but caressed it afterwards. Jisung snapped back to reality as he grimaced by the sudden contact.

"What happened?" He felt like suffering from partial amnesia at this moment.

Minho scratched his head. "You've been staring at my phone for a while and your hands..." He took another glance at his left hand, the one that's been snagged by Jisung's strong grip. "I appreciate your affection but I have to let go of my right hand to slap you. Totally sorry for that."

Filled with embarrassment, Jisung released his grip from Minho's poor hand, cringing at the sight of his own doings. He was holding Minho's hand so tightly that his skin started showing red marks from the prior blood suppression. Poor boy, he thought.

Minho pretended to act physically unhurt. "Free tattoos I see."

"With all due respect, guys, I think it's important to focus on our task than to stare into each other's eyes at this very moment." When Chan announced those words they were aghast. The exact same feeling of being caught red-handed by parents for fapping in the garage.

Now they're forming a circle like now a majestic cult would do when summoning a lost soul.

Silence.

"Yo guys, yesterday I read a really cringe-worthy smut where the dom peed inside the sub for being a slut. That shit was epic. Had me cackling on the floor." Felix couldn't escape his own laughing remembering the sin he committed the day before.

Seungmin rolled his eyes. "Do you run track? Because I heard you Relay want his dick." Woojin tee-heed but swatted Seungmin's side profile in reward.

"Ouch! Hyung~ what was that for?" He whined, hands rubbing his beautiful face back and forth.

Woojin sniffed his runny nose. "You need to watch your language! I thought you're the one who's in charge of behaving these kids."

"Yah, Jisung swears every time and nobody scolds him. This is my first time telling a dick joke and the disrespect I'm getting?"

Jisung's inner warrior side was soaring out loud. "I don't make jokes about dicks. I respect them. Don't bring me into the fight." He didn't want to lose the fight.

Felix checked his phone. "But you sent me a dick pict yesterday, telling me it looks like Changbin."

"You don't even know how my dick looks like."

Minho was beyond confused. "Why did you send a dick pict, but most importantly—where did you get it from?"

"Let me see the picture!" Hyunjin grabbed Felix's unsecured phone to take a look at the object that's everyone's mentioned. "It looks like Chan's dick for me." He gave Chan a look, showing the picture to him.

"Uhm, excuse me? That's Jisung's." He spewed those words confidently like a professional genitals detective.

Jisung flipped his puffy hair. "Nah... my dick is expensive. Why would I send a picture of my own dick to my best friend? I'm not like a 'hey, wanna see my dick but no homo tho' type of person."

Felix let out several inhumane noises. "Bro, I'll throw up if you send me your actual dick pict to me." Felix wiped his tears from overbearing laugh syndrome. "Let's just assume it's Jeongin's..."

"Why the fuck are you bringing him into this?!" Seungmin barked back. Woojin kendo chopped him for his dirty mouth.

Chan cleared his throat, trying to restart the boys to their sane state. "So, anyone have an idea on what should we to during the school's festival?" Nobody raised their hand to speak. "If no one's gonna answer than let's just all make a mini cinema and let people watch a horror movie with us as the actors, playing Bloody Mary in a real haunted house, where we actually play the game to get the vibes."

"...or we can create a dangerous life threatening magic show."

Chills spreading throughout Jisung's body. He felt scared as the hair on his body stood up in unison.

"Hyung that was too much. We don't wanna risk our lives," Jisung admitted his concern. The rest agreed, Chan too.

Chan suggested, "I was joking. I actually think that it will be nice if we perform an actual performance that people would watch. Like singing or dancing, or perhaps both."

In Chan's mind, the team that he formed have a great potential on succeeding. He has his reasons when arranging the members.

A quick flashback from Chapter 10...

"That Jeongin guy, he's cute... so yes. Woojin is a hard worker, yes. I wanna get to know the silent guy (Changbin), yes. I've known Jisung for a long time, big fat yes. The rest will be his friends and his crush so he'll have a reason to be active. Hell yeah, I just made superheroes. Chaddy, you're amazing..."

Totally reasonable.

"Crispy, I don't think it's a good idea," Changbin criticized the said boy's shallow brain. "It's boring."

Felix joined in the middle of the conversation. "Binnie hyung is right. Kun and his 20 other friends are probably doing a mega performance."

Jisung interrupted. "But aren't the groups supposed to have 10 members or less?"

"They can make sub-groups, duh." Felix defended his statement. "They'd probably name the group Nipple Coming Tonight (NCT)."

Chan snapped his fingers, grinning from ear to ear. "Great idea, mate! We should form sub-units." He grabbed his phone to open PicsArt and scribbled down names within the power of Bang Chan's steady index. He could just use Notes and typed the names instead, but he has decided that he'll be no longer living the boring life after hearing Changbin's previous statement of him being boring. That's why you should watch your words, you'll never know how many people out there are as determined as Chan who willingly live like Larry the lobster.

"Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix." He took a glance towards the three individuals he had mentioned. "You three have great relationship especially in the dance kingdom. Minho, you've been entrusted with the task of bringing the children back to their sanity, alive." Minho gladly accepted his fate as the leader of the two juniors.

Chan positioned himself next to Jisung. "Changbin, Jisung, and I will team up as a group. We're in charge of the lyrics, okay?"

"Um, excuse me Christopherina, but why me?" Jisung wondered the random grouping style. To be quite honest, he wanted to switch place with Felix. Same goes for Felix.

Chan babbled, "Well there little one, I spy with my little eyes, and I discovered that you're great on writing lyrics based on your midterm exam."

"Writing—uh what?"

The kangaroo looking guy slapped his head so hard, Jisung thought he had flown into the alternate universe. Frankly, he's eager to know the world outside the world he's living in.

"You didn't see your result, did you?" He sighed watching the blonde shook his head innocently. "Okay, so basically you thought that you failed your exam, but that's where you're wrong. If you fail, You'll be given information regarding to your test result. The teacher said that you're supposed to fail. However, your writings on the test paper shed him tears. It's beautiful."

Frankly, Jisung was overwhelmed by the long ass explanation.

"You're creepy, Crispy." Changbin acknowledged Chan's way of thinking with an obnoxious sneer and Jisung did likewise. "This group is messed up, we should just name our trio 3RACHA cause we pacha."

Silent guy Changbin who?

Jisung pinched the bridge of his nose, lying his tired body on Chan's thighs. "Hyung, have you been watching me? You sounded like one of the guy from Seungmin's creepy story." Jisung stared at Chan from below.

Jisung swore that he caught Minho staring at Chan and him from the corner of his eyes.

"Let's just say that I've been giving y'all an equal amount of attentions." Chan let out three five different kinds of laugh. One as Bang Chan; the rest are most likely be no other than Christopher Bang, Chaddy, Crispy, and Christopherina.

Chan continued, "Believe me. That's why I know Jisung is totally crushing on Minho."

Jisung immediately elevated his head in utter shock. He bumped onto Chan's temple on the process, but couldn't care less.

Minho and Felix choked on air like a dying wild boar. As if a defibrillator get stuck in their asses, delivering a dose of electric current to the butt.

That bitch Christopherina-chan, Jisung thought.

"You what?" Minho was practically yelling at Jisung.

Jisung was beyond agitated. Unable to speak a single word, Jisung harshly shook his head, pretending to act oblivious, though he's already busted.

"Whoops." Chan tiptoed himself out of the building.

┉┉


	15. 14

Not long after Chan's departure, Minho was also running himself out of the base camp. Jisung wanted to chase him but decided against it, somewhat anxious about the outcome if he did what he planned to do heretofore.

"Fuck my life." He breathed out those words nonchalantly, earning a warning glare from Woojin which he noticed straight away.

"Sorry for my distasteful choice of words. What I meant to say is sexual intercourse my life." The boy was quite salty after Chan spilled the hot tea. His best friend, Felix, was genuinely concerned about his wellbeing.

The tension in the room was no longer lively, therefore Jisung escaped the room. A minute later he had found himself staring at the bathroom mirror (still in the base camp).

His mind was clouded with thoughts; thoughts about Minho hating on him. He liked the boy too much, he's afraid of losing him.

A small hand patted his back. "Don't stress yourself too much."

Jisung hugged the owner of the hand tightly. "Lixie, what if he hates me now? What if the thinks I'm a disgusting piece of gay twerp? I can never look him in the eyes again." Felix hummed a series of "It's okay" to his best friend who's clutching to his sweater tightly like a kitten.

"Perhaps I should just, you know... not into him anymore. Gosh, I wish I can delete my feelings away but I can't cause I'm a fucking crybaby."

Wiping the tears away, Felix replied, "You know, sometimes the wrong train can take you to the right destination as long as you're the one's controlling the train." Jisung nodded, not completely understand the meaning of the sentence, but he just listened because feels protected.

Just now, he's glad to have his best friend caring over him. True, Felix can be a confusing—flirtatious old school trend digger, or a meme-like cheese stick addict. Howbeit, he's also the best kind of friend in Jisung's world. At happy times, he would be the typical McDonald's clown, whereas at sad boy hours, he would switched 180 degrees and become the best companion.

As they both promised when they first made the best friend label tattooed on their buttocks, they would be there for each other; during their best and worst state. They promised to always be there for one another. A true friend never leave each other in the darkness alone... without an evil prank to be executed, that's what Felix's mother said to him when he was younger.

They finally let go of each other in behalf of Jisung's undeniably urge to pee. Felix understood, suddenly wanting to pee as well.

"When you said 'as long as you're controlling the train', you're talking about Minho and I?" Jisung asked in the middle of peeing.

"No, what I meant to say was YOU should control your emotions, your overflowing feelings. Don't let those things taking control over you," Felix said, also peeing.

Pulling his pants on, Jisung winced his eyebrows in confusion. "Are you saying that my feelings for him are wrong?"

"No—don't twist it the wrong way." Felix pulled his pants on, glancing the boy's before him. "Couples can't be couples without both sides confessing their feelings towards each other. People confess their feelings for the other to understand."

Felix landed his hand on Jisung's shoulder. "You, my friend, no longer have the burden to confess since he's aware of your feelings now. That's a hip hip hurray for you and a hip hip hooo for Minho considering his cowardly action earlier on."

The blonde brushed the small hand away from his shoulder. "You talk big with those small hands of yours."

Felix only smirked. "My hands maybe small but I spark a big dick energy."

"Big dick energy my ass. You can't even bring yourself to talk to Changbin," Jisung snarled.

"Bro, I forgot to tell you...." Felix lowered his already low voice, attempting to narrate a story he's about to tell Jisung.

"It all started with a seat swap..."

Flashback to the day where Jisung accidentally bumped Chunhua...

"Felix, I love you so much but please let me sit next to Chunhua for once." He stood up, strolling his legs to the desired seat.

"You're abandoning me for Sasuke?" Felix couldn't believe his ears but obeyed nonetheless. "Weird flex but okay." He was a chill dude after all.

Felix casually switched seats with Jisung. He first thought that's it's a cool idea... oh boy, he was wrong.

In his 17 years of living, Felix never once seat alone. Therefore the boy felt awkward sitting alone without having someone reacting to his drowsy being or meme-like behavior.

Felix tried to entertain himself in the sea of pure boredom.

"Hey there cutie," He said to the empty seat right next to him. He waited for a while but no reply was spoken. Strange, he thought.

Blessed with the power of invisibility, Felix walked himself out of the boring classroom, trying to find something to laugh at or to make it laugh at him. Forsooth, the boy ain't invisible at all, but people like to sleep on him, so he's practically unseen—not literally of course.

Playing his favorite Spotify Playlist in his dull head, he continued to hummed, whilst his foot kept bouncing on and off wherever he liked.

The moment he stopped humming, he found himself staring at a guy's back on the rooftop. Without further ado, the Australian approached the mysterious guy to avoid any case of suicide. The mysterious guy's on the rooftop anyway. One wrong step, than the boy will fall. That's not hallelujah.

"Hello, Mysterious guy—SEO CHANGBIN?" Felix couldn't believe his own sight. The mentioned boy then turned his head to meet Felix's eyes. Those orbs... Felix loved them so much, he blamed himself for not bringing his camera to capture this captivating moment.

Changbin pulled out his Airpods. "Ahh, you're that junior..." He scanned the boy, searching for the name. "Felix, isn't it?"

"YES, FELIX IT IS." He practically yelped due to excitement. Shoot, he remembers my name, Felix thought. "What are you doing here? The wind might sweep you away in any second."

Changbin replied with a blank look on his face, "Got bored."

"Oh, I see..."

Felix gathered all his bravery to sit next to his love interest. His heart was beating so fast, it might escape his body and run to America with that speed.

Silence.

The tension turned awkward by minutes. Felix decided to rummage his brain to escape the awkward situation, finding a good topic to open a conversation.

Ding! A good conversation topic popped up.

"Umm.." He placed his arm behind the older's back and continued, "hey gorgeous, are you perhaps... gay?"

"I'm bi," he answered lightly like it wasn't a sensitive topic for a starter. Felix nodded, lips pursed into a semi-satisfied smirk.

"Hey bi, I'm dad." (-dy)

"Cool... I mean WHAT?!" Changbin choked on air, he almost died.

Felix panicked. "Shit, sorry for that. I didn't mean to kill you." He shook the dark haired boy enthusiastically. "I was just half kidding."

Felix's enthusiasm seemed to affect Changbin in a good way. He was resurrected from a mild cardiac arrest.

"T-thanks. I can't believe I s-survived," he said mid coughing.

And so the boys spent the entire period chatting on the rooftop. What a happy day for an unlucky guy like Felix.

"Shit, that's a sick ass story." Jisung's mouth agape in awe. "You inspire me."

"Hell yeah, it ain't like your typical horseshit."

┉┉

Minho had been running in circles for a while. His foot were getting tired, but the boy kept running nonetheless. He's already on his 69th lap, yet he didn't plan on stopping.

"I'm not gay, I'm not gay, I'm not gay." The boy kept repeating his sentence over and over again to convince himself regarding to his sexual orientation.

The more he denied his fate, the more confused he became.

"I'm not gay, I'm not ga—"

"Why do you look like a sexually frustrated boy with issues?" A voice startled Minho, stopping him from his tracks.

Feeling insecure, Minho asked the caller, "Yo, Chunhua! Why are you here?"

"Well, I can ask you the same question," Chunhua said, taking a bite of Nori. "You've been running around the neighborhood, muttering the same words, and now you're in my front yard."

Minho looked around. "This is your house?"

Chunhua sighed. "Yes, I moved here not so long ago."

The conversation went out smoothly until the gay thoughts are finally back. Miss me with that gay shit huh, Minho thought to himself.

"Belive me. That's why I know Jisung is totally crushing on Minho."

"Stop it!" Minho continued to punch his temporal bone, trying to push the gay thoughts away.

Chunhua tilted her head. "Stop what?"

"THE DAMN VOICES!" yelled Minho. "They won't stop screaming that one name."

"Minho, are you seriously okay? I'm actually concerned." Chunhua checked Minho's pulse. Everything's fine, though. "Do you need help?"

"Yes please..." Minho was so frustrated, he even bowed to her.

"... help me find the answer."

┉┉


	16. 15

Jisung would have skipped school if Felix's didn't say all those encouraging words. Despite the fact that his secret has been spilled, Jisung stayed confident so that people won't make fun of him. Jisung is a role model. Be like Jisung.

On the other hand, Minho was a hot mess. Chunhua had invited him to her daily meditation practice. However, the boy seemed to not being able to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable stated as he should've been.

"It doesn't matter if he likes me or not," Jisung said, correcting his mismatched buttons to its collective order. "I am no longer holding this burden in my heart. I'm a free spirit."

Jisung breathed in and out calmly. He had arrived at school but decided to stay inside the restroom due to his own clothing difficulty.

At this moment, the sound of uneven footsteps alongside with chatty problematic teenagers were loud enough for him to tell that it's about time to go inside his classroom.

Here goes nothing, or so his mind said.

The moment he stepped his foot outside the dim restroom, he could already spot a familiar blue skirt nearby. That girl Chunhua always wears blue skirt with slightly different blueish schemes and style, paired with a simple white shoulder knit top; giving out the fancy ladylike vibes.

He wanted to approach the girl but he stopped in process upon noticing his friend next to her. Oh yes, that friend is no other than the infamous Lee Minho.

Minho and Chunhua seemed to be pretty close, though Jisung just figured out that they're ex lovers, judging on Minho's brand new iPhone.

Somewhere inside of him, there's a broken boy. He's so naïve and easily broken, he even lost his self confidence that he had built in a mill second. His mind flew so far, he was filled with bold assumptions. The thought of them getting back together, whereas he had just confessed his feelings (Chan did it actually) is such an unwanted scenario yet to be executed.

How awkward it would be for the two of them now.

With his head hung low, Jisung walked his foot into the classroom, still pretending to be alright, so he won't burden his best friend anymore. Though he will never be a burden to Felix.

Jisung must admit that he started to take a liking of Chunhua for her down to earth personality, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous upon realizing that the foreigner had been in a relationship with Minho, his Minho.

Okay, I'll just have to pretend I didn't see them, he convinced himself.

"Hey bro, how's your puffy fluffy?" Felix asked, landing his butt on the seat next to him.

Jisung was a bad actor, so he decided to quit the faulty acting and be a crybaby he is. "Bro, I saw my poopoo and his ex together! I'm doomed." First, it's Puffy Fluffy and now it's Poopoo. Thankfully they speak the same language of sarcasm.

Felix pulled his hair in a dramatic way as possible. "Shit, you are doomed."

"That's not helping actually."

"I may not be able to help." Felix whistled to Seungmin's direction and continued, "but he may be the one possessed with that ability." Seungmin nodded with a sneaky grin plastered on his face. Seungmin handed Jisung a thick ass book.

Jisung read the title: How to Escape an Awkward Situation Created by Thyself or That One Little Shit. HTEAASCBTOTOLS in short.

Looking at Jisung's confused expression, Seungmin flipped the book to reveal the first page.

"First step is to dress like you don't give a shit on how other people would react." Seungmin eyed the blonde from his hair down to his covered toenail. "You look hot but those golden layers are covering your inner beauty."

Felix advised, "Why don't we go shopping after school?" Seungmin agreed, waiting for Jisung's approval with puppy eyes and pouty lips.

"Please, we'll kill Chan if necessary."

"Fine." Jisung closed the book.

┉┉

"Do you think I'm gay?" Minho and Chunhua had been staring for a good ten minutes, figuring out the lost boy's sexuality.

Chunhua flicked Minho's forehead. "I don't know. That's your job to answer." Chunhua played with her fingers. "Maybe you are. Who knows?"

Minho pfftt sarcastically. "Of course I'm not. I dated you for a year."

Chunhua leaned her body onto her locker, Minho was standing in front of her. Uneducated scums and Jisung would probably think that they're about to kiss, but they're doing the opposites.

"When you dated me, you're not this flustered. You don't even blush, it's concerning." Minho listened. "You never initiate for a kiss, never act nervous, never act like a boy watching his crush."

Chunhua whispered to Minho's ear, "You act more like a mother than a lover to me. I appreciate it since my mother's death was new to me that time, but right now... it's different. You look like roasted chicken."

"Roasted chicken? Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Yes." Chunhua then back flipped to her classroom, leaving a sexually confused Minho behind.

┉┉

Jisung and Seungmin were wandering inside the massive mall so cheerfully. Felix was supposed to join them, but he was told to babysit his neighbor's four years old daughter.

They forgot how many clothes they've purchased, but they kept buying more, especially since Jisung's credit card is on the use.

Jisung didn't expect himself to be happy. Seungmin was indeed correct; shopping is one of the best way to forgot your worries if you have money. Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy many things that are useful.

Seungmin was busy picking the suitable clothes for Jisung, but he couldn't help but feel jealous since everything he threw at him just suit him perfectly. He looks good in everything, even plastic bag.

"Damn, I kinda expect you to flop in patterns, but you're rocking the outfit." Seungmin wiped his own tears. "Who's the girl that's been sticking on Minho?"

"It's Chunhua," Jisung answered, trying out the leather jacket which Seungmin has been dying to see.

"Oh, it's her. I don't know what's her beef but she keeps sticking to our men like a glue stick." Hearing the name Chunhua made Seungmin's heart boiled. "By the way you look so daddy in leather. Way more daddy than that Hyunjin scum."

"Thanks," Jisung chuckled nervously. "Talking about daddy, what's wrong with you and Hyunjin?" He asked, though he assumed that it's because of Chunhua, when he recalled watching Hyunjin and Chunhua holding hands.

"You know the answer." was all that he said.

Not trying to push Seungmin too far, he brushed off his curiosity and proceeded on shopping. Seungmin pleaded the blonde to buy the leather jacket, but Jisung still thought it's too sexy for him. Eventually, Seungmin hid the jacket and stole it from the store with his clever brain.

Seungmin was good in stealing, but terrible at lying.

"Seungmin, I can't believe you just—"

"Oh look, that brand new coffee shop seems interesting. We should go there ASAP before it's full of people!" Seungmin pulled Jisung's hand and dragged him to the interesting brand new coffee shop, though it's just the regular Starbucks.

"One venti iced skinny Hazelnut Macchiato, sugar-free syrup, extra shot, light ice, no whip. Also one tall, half-caff, Soy Latte at 120 degrees, please." Seungmin gave the cashier Jisung's stolen money and dragged Jisung to the farthest seat. The cashier was starting to regret his life choices. 

Seungmin put his HTEAASCBTOTOLS book on the table.

"Step one, checked." Jisung could only sit with eleven different shopping bags on his lap. "Step two, make him/her jealous."

"How?" Jisung asked behind the shopping bags.

"By acting lovey dovey with someone else in front of him. That should be easy." Seungmin rummaged his brain. "Yeji? No, she's not a guy. Felix? No way, that's too awkward. Jeongin? No, he's my baby, he can't be involved. Hyunjin? Hell no. Woojin? Nope, he has a girlfie. Changbin? I don't think so. Chan? No, that doesn't make sense. Me? Oh no, I won't do it..."

Then a thought of Hyunjin appeared on Seungmin's head.

"On a second thought... I'll do it." Seungmin pinched Jisung's cheeks behind those shopping bags.

"Hyung, have you been in a relationship before? Have you kissed someone?" Seungmin wondered, while a Starbucks worker gave them their desired drinks with an apologetic look.

Jisung's cheeks reddened. "Nope."

"Are you serious? I've had my first kiss when I was like six years old and you haven't?" Seungmin sipped a large portion of his venti iced skinny Hazelnut Macchiato, sugar-free syrup, extra shot, light ice, no whip. "This is going to be harder than what I've imagined it to be like."

Seungmin sighed, when he suddenly spotted two familiar figures. From his perspective, he could see Minho and Chunhua walking near their direction with a pair of venti salted caramel Mocha Frappucino with five pumps of frap roast, four pumps of caramel sauce, four pumps of caramel syrup, three pumps of mocha, three pumps of toffee nut syrup, double blended with extra whipped cream on each grip.

"Seungmin, what are you looking at?" Jisung tilted his head.

Seungmin is a bad liar, thus he shrugged dreadfully. "It's just... I just remembered my weird dream of a chicken attacked my mother for looking behind. "He blamed himself for the horrible excuse.

"That's stupidly scary. Whatever, I'm just gonna look back." Jisung was about to turned his body, but Seungmin's hands were faster.

"Seungmin, what the fuck that hurts."

"You know, I was thinking that we should practice kissing for your future kisses." Without spending any time, Seungmin leaned his body to kiss Jisung. Jisung tried to rescue himself from the kiss, but Seungmin's hand avoided the movement. It was a sloppy kiss for the both of them.

Seungmin kissed Jisung in order for him not to witness Minho and Chunhua's arrival. What he didn't expect was for Minho to recognise them.

"Minho, are you okay?" Chunhua waved her hand. "You've been following me, even to the mall, and now you're frozen?"

Minho gulped nervously. "I'm fine, thank you. You can go home." Chunhua left Minho then.

"I thought the drink is the only one shitty..."

┉┉


	17. 16

Before the Starbucks incident...

"I'm most definitely not gay."

"Yes, you are." A voice from behind stunned the lonely ass Minho. Minho turned his head only to find a rather good looking-muscular man-or boy.

Minho thought that spending a time to himself was all that's needed to convince himself regarding of his sexuality. In fact, he's been doing that for almost an hour.

"Hey, have you been spying on me?" The muscular guy sit next to Minho. "You look familiar but I can't point out the name... my mind is filled with Jisung, it's excruciating."

"I'm Wonho, the same guy who helped your boyfriend the other day alongside with Woojin and his girlfriend." He landed his muscular arm behind Minho's back. (*cough* chapter 6 *cough*)

Minho yelped upon feeling Wonho's arm behind him. "Okay, Wonho. What do you know about us? He's not even my boyfriend."

"Yet," Wonho finished Minho's already finished statement, causing him to choke on air. Being the male protagonist he is, Wonho was fast to react, he helped Minho going through his choking incident.

Feeling awkward, Minho dialed Chunhua.

"Aye, Tell me your location! I wanna follow you." Then he hung up. Without saying his farewell, Minho sprinted his legs and left Wonho all by himself, feeling insecure somehow.

┉┉

"Are you sure about this? I'm just gonna buy another skirt, restocking my milk, and probably drink coffee on the way home. I don't really need a helping hand. I've done this almost every month," Chunhua assured him, handing her credit card to the cashier.

Minho continued his conspiracy theory, "If I'm actually gay, wouldn't it be wrong to date you in the first place? I can convince you that my feelings back then were genuine."

"Thanks," she thanked the cashier, Minho took her shopping bag. "You can be bisexual or pansexual. There's no limitation about what kind of person floats your boat."

They continued their shopping. Minho continuously stumbled on a random person, earning a furious glare from the person he stumbled on. Chunhua on the other hand, wouldn't stop gushing over the handsome Starbucks new employee. The way he smiled to the customers. The way he laugh nervously whenever he's handling a crazy customer and their tricky order. The way his messy brown hair danced in every movement. He was lavished with allurement. Minho was starting to realize his ex's strange behavior.

"Don't tell me you're into the brown head." Minho rolled his eyes. That's when Chunhua pulled his hand, dragging him to Starbucks with force.

Chunhua couldn't control her breath. "Minho, he's so hot. We should make the longest, most difficult order to waste time." Minho was about to interject when Chunhua was already screaming a not so appealing order with a satisfied smirk.

"Two exact venti salted caramel Mocha Frappucino with five pumps of frap roast, four pumps of caramel sauce, four pumps of caramel syrup, three pumps of mocha, three pumps of toffee nut syrup, double blended with extra whipped cream, please. Don't rush it, make it so scrumptious and mouthwatering." Minho cringed hearing the order but stayed silent nevertheless.

The barista was about to past out. This is his first day, but why must he suffer. "I'm screwed," he muttered which Chunhua immediately caught. Meanwhile, Minho has stopped responding as the person who doesn't speak Starbucks he is.

"Can I have a name for that order?" he questioned.

Chunhua leaned her body forward to read his nametag: Nam Jiwoo. "Can I give you my number instead? Been thinking about you a latte."

Minho could feel the secondhand embarrassment from Chunhua's aura. The first thing he's expecting is for them to be kicked out.

Jiwoo chuckled, whispering to Chunhua's ear a little too loudly, "They call me coffee cause I grind so fine." Minho cringed so hard when the barista winked at her, totally in love. Can't lie, though. Chunhua is really beautiful.

"I can feel something brewing between the two of us." Chunhua placed a piece of paper with her handwriting written on it, most definitely her number. "Call me."

"I don't believe in love at first sight, but I'm willing to make an exception in your case." He gave them their complicated drinks. "Here's your drinks. Have a nice day." Then he took the paper that Chunhua has given him.

For Chunhua, her life is complete, but for Minho, not so much. He was all fine until he saw two familiar figures sitting with tons of shopping bags. He could spot Seungmin and... Jisung? He was certain since he has been thinking about him. Spotting Jisung has become one of the thing he's excellent at. Minho was cocksure about his guess.

After a series of thought, Minho tried to embrace the gay and accept him for who he is. Therefore, he wanted to approach them. What he didn't expect was to see them kissing in front of him. First, Jisung has a crush on Minho, and now he's kissing Seungmin? He somehow assumed that Jisung's not polyamorous, but why?

┉┉

"He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not." Jisung plucked the last petal in boredom. "He loves me, that's bullshit."

Elizabeth the 3rd had tried several attempts to cheer Jisung, but the boy was too deep in thought.

Jisung sighed, placing the sleepy cat on his lap. Elizabeth the 3rd let out a small whimper by the sudden contact with Jisung's stone-cold hands. Trying to be as gentle as he can, Jisung ran his fingers through Elizabeth's soft-clean fur.

Elizabeth the 3rd enjoyed the loving touch whatsoever. The cat purred every time Jisung pets him.

"You know, I'm starting to like you." He hummed, hands still running onto the soft fur. "I never hate you, Eli. I'm just jealous of you."

Elizabeth the 3rd stayed silent, forasmuch the melodic hand movement created by Jisung's loving hand, so too Jisung would continue to speak his mind out the silence.

"You receive all the attention while I receive the papers. It's a fair excuse to be jealous." Jisung kissed Elizabeth the 3rd's head. "I guess cats are okay, especially you. I'm just an attention whore. I crave attention, right Eli?" Eli meowed upon hearing her nickname being mentioned by the person she loves the most. Jisung chuckled, continued to pet her head.

"You like it so much when I pet you." He looked at Elizabeth the 3rd's eyes while still petting her softly. "I happen to like it either..."

All of the sudden, the door busted open with the most dramatic sound effect anyone could imagine. Eunwoo and Bambam were standing behind the previously closed door with a water gun clutched to their armpits.

"You've been talking to yourself, thus we're here to provide you with a finite quantity of pH 7 ground water in order to bring your soul back to reality." Eunwoo aimed his maneuvering equipment to Jisung's direction. Bambam too.

Bambam continued, "Mr. Han, could you please hand us the fur ball and gladly surrender thyself! Thou shall never act negligent to thy elders. Therefore I gave this command to thee, Yellow head! Don't be an aptycock."

"SHUT UP YE FEISTY CREATURES! WHOMEVER DARED TO STEP INSIDE THIS SACRED HOUSEHOLD SHALL SUFFER IN THE FLAMES OF HELL! SING ALL YE PEOPLE IN THE TOWER OF HAN'S! SING!"

Eunwoo wiped his dripping sweat in relief. "Thank goodness he's okay."

"What happened to you? Why the fuck are there shopping bags everywhere?" Bambam asked, looking at each shopping bags scattered throughout the room.

"Oh, this one's for you." Jisung threw one of the clothes he bought to Bambam. Bambam caught it perfectly. He was excited about the gift, howbeit his smile dropped upon seeing the item.

It was a black lingerie with glitters all over the materials. Eunwoo couldn't help but laugh at him. It was inevitable.

"You'll look good. I can ensure you." Jisung gave Bambam a thumbs up. "Now please leave! I need to talk to Elizabitch."

"Uhh... okay." Both of them disappeared without a trance.

"Where were we?" Elizabeth the 3rd only meowed, moving her head to Jisung's chest, begging him to pet her.

"Such a needy kittie, aren't you." Jisung actualized Elizabeth the 3rd's wish. "I highkey hope your true owner wouldn't come home, so that I can spend quality time with you—not that I want him to die, though."

Jisung's eyes traveled to the opened book next to him. It was the book that Seungmin lent him; HTEAASCBTOTOLS.

Step two: make him/her jealous.

Will this work though? He asked himself the same question over and over again.

The sound of Mamamoo's song: Wind Flower started playing on the background. Elizabeth the 3rd must've accidentally bumped his CD player or it's just his butt. The boy wanted to jam with Elizabeth, yet the sound of his buzzing phone was starting to annoy him.

BangChan invited you to a group:  
⚤ Straight Kids ⚤

BangChan   
Straight Kids, assemble!

Jisung  
fuck u 🖕

Minho  
🚫 This message was deleted.

Felix

̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿’̿’\̵͇̿̿\з= ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) =ε/̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿

Seungmin  
┬━┬ノ(▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ノ)

Jisung  
what

┉┉

"Fuck it, I'm gay."

┉┉


	18. 17

"Damn, he's hot." Minho was busy scrolling down Jisung's Instagram account to confirm his feelings.

Minho wasn't stupid, he was just oblivious and filled with self-denial. His fingers though... were stupid.

BangChan invited you to a group:  
⚤ Straight Kids ⚤

BangChan  
Does anybody have Jisung's contact?

Minho  
me  
*sends contact*

BangChan  
thanks :)

BangChan added Jisung to the group.

BangChan  
Straight Kids, assemble!

Jisung  
fuck u 🖕

Minho's now certain that he's indeed a gay horse. To be honest, the boy couldn't be any more happy to finally accept himself for who he truly is. He was supposed to tell Chunhua regarding this matter, but instead his thumbs accidentally slipped and went for the wrong room chat.

Minho  
hell yeah i'm fucking gay for that fucking hot mess han fucking jisung

Fuck! I messed up, Minho cursed himself for his idiotic mistake. He took a deep breath, then deleted the bubble chat as if nobody had read it.

Minho  
🚫 You deleted this message.

Almost every member saw the message. Almost. All except for Jisung because it has always been this way for the two of them.

┉┉

"Hyung, I told you performing a song is nothing but boring." Changbin rolled his eyes, then took a bite of Felix's unfinished sausage.

Felix flinched upon witnessing a hand took away his beautiful sausage. "That's my sausa—never mind. It's all yours." He scratched his head and smiled, though he's having mixed feeling with the sausage's disappearance, dying inside. "C-chan hyung! What do have in mind?"

Chan deeply exhaled. "My plan is to divide us into three sub-units since we can't seem to agree on something." He recalled them having a heated conversation about whose dick did Jisung sent to Felix. "Jisung, Changbin, and I for the first unit. Minho, Felix, and Hyunjin for the second one. Finally Woojin, Jeongin, and Seungmin. Y'all can think whatever piece of shit you guys want to perform."

Woojin and Seungmin slapped Chan's cheeks from both side. Giving him deadly glares for saying shit beforehand when there's Jeongin who just casually watching from afar.

Jeongin was nothing but bored. He missed a lot of good stuff for being absent the other day. He blamed the fever like he always did whenever he missed out his kdrama-like friendship life.

Next to him, there was a sleep deprived Han Jisung, lying his head heavily on the wooden cafeteria table. He had spent the night before with Seungmin, having a long ass video call to execute their plan on making Minho jealous.

"The best way to make him crave for your attention is to stop giving him one," Seungmin explained, taking a bite of Doritos.

Jisung nudged Elizabeth the 3rd's nape while taking notes. "But the book didn't mention anything likewise. It only tells us to make him/her jealous, but make sure we don't go too far, so there won't be misunderstandings that would lead us to trouble and Minho to his capitulation."

"By the way you should practice your kissing skill. You don't wanna kiss him sloppily. It's cringey, considering he has an ex, which means he had kissed multiple times before." Seungmin inserted his hand to grab another piece of Doritos, only to be disappointed afterwards.

The thought of Minho kissing anyone else apart from his cats bewildered him. The plan was to make Minho jealous, although he was the first one to be jealous. Let's just say he wanted a payback, not in a diabolical way.

Jisung snarled, "Well thanks for being my first ever kiss... and probably my hundredth kiss, if my kisses failed to meet your expectations. All in the name of practice." Minho was actually Jisung's first kiss, though it's just an accidental lip-touch. Jisung didn't consider it as a kiss.

For Seungmin, it's all dedicated to Hyunjin.

"Fuck my life!" Jisung exclaimed a little to dramatically, even the people inside the cafeteria paid attention to him.

"Oh, you're alive." Seungmin patted Jisung's head, putting his lunch on the table—sitting in the middle of Jisung and Jeongin. Seungmin was good a good actor, he acted like his love and affection for Jisung is real. Well it is, but that's not exactly is.

Jisung realized it though, just by looking at Seungmin's smile. It didn't look forced, but Jisung could tell his intentions behind the smile.

Seungmin gave him the 'you-can-do-it' eye signals. I can fucking do it. Don't be a pussy, be a strong dick, he encouraged himself with useless declaration. Minho's watching. Show 'em your determination.

"Minnie, I had a bad dream!" Jisung buried his head on the crook of Seungmin's neck, mentally cursed himself for the pathetic acting skill. Seungmin went out with the flow skillfully.

"He sounded like Jeongin," Felix whispered to Chan in English. If Jisung is dumb, Felix is dumber. The boy already forgot that he's the one who dragged Seungmin to this mission.

Seungmin swore he could see Hyunjin growled upon hearing the nickname coming out from Jisung's mouth. The nickname Minnie was no longer Hyunjin's private calling anymore.

"Bad dream, hm? It's okay, I'm here to protect you." Seungmin hugged Jisung tightly, whispering, "Yah, you forgot our plan already. I'm supposed to bottom."

"Shit," Jisung cursed under his breath. Being the dumb guy he is, he escaped from Seungmin's embrace and now he's the one hugging him.

"No, I was just joking babe. By the way you look beautiful today. I bet you look better with your clothes scattered around my bedroom floor." Jisung bit the inside of his cheeks as he spoke, cringing in every breath. Seungmin gagged, realizing that they have switched roles.

Seungmin learned his face closely to the blonde. "Do it then."

The rest of the people around them just sit in awe, watching the two intimate interaction. Seungmin's acting skill was so good, they thought it was real.

Hyunjin was pissed by the sight, whereas Minho was out of words. He felt somewhat betrayed. The image of them kissing together from the other day kept creeping back to Minho's mind. He admitted that watching Seungmin and Jisung together is absolute torture.

Minho stood up. "I'm going to class to finish my science project." Picking up his food tray, the boy left like a wind. It was a bizarre thing, since everyone knows Minho is the type of person who wouldn't go to class before break time's over. If truth be told, he was always a little late for class.

"What project? There's no—" Changbin tried to stop Minho from leaving, but to no avail. "HEY, STOP WALKING... AND LYING!" He tried several times but, alas, Minho continued to jerk Changbin's hand away. Salty gay ass, Changbin thought.

Jisung couldn't help but felt a pang of guilt for not being honest about his feelings. He was stuck in his own mind's complexity and unable to completely break free. Feeling horrible, as a shadow of guilt darkened his eyes.

"Stop this bullshit." Hyunjin finally opened his mouth. The tone of his voice was calm. However, he has fiery eyes, piercing their way into Seungmin's glassy ones.

Seungmin dropped his innocent smile. "So you have a mouth but decided to stay quiet like a princess you are." He leaned forward to kill the distance which separates him and his princess, just to showed him his middle finger. "We get it, cheater." Again, he wiggled his middle finger in victory.

Hyunjin was irritated, hence he decided to bit the younger's finger. "Stop assuming people's motives."

"You freaking cheat on me with that new girl! I saw you guys eating dinner together," Seungmin literally screamed in frustration. He's been holding his sanity for quite a while to finally let it go before it leaves a scar to his delicate heart. For Jisung and Minho though, it already happened, all because of a mere misunderstanding that leads them to regret; for not realizing one's feeling.

"Don't tell me you avoided me just because of her."

"Don't make me look like an overdramatic clown! It's a serious problem." Seungmin didn't feel guilty for picking a quarrel with the person he loves the most.

Hyunjin unlocked his phone, then gave it to Seungmin. The gadget showed a picture of a confusing piece of paper.

"Mr. Shunsuke and my mom are getting married, therefore Chunhua will be my sister from now on." Seungmin couldn't believe his own eyes, even Jisung was blown away too. "I was hesitant at first, but my mom kept encouraging me to get closer to her—to make it less awkward for us. All I can do is to obey her, so I did nonetheless."

Hyunjin looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry for not telling you sooner."

Seungmin's eyes watered. "No, I'm sorry for misunderstanding you. I'm such a bad person." The others watched in silence. Felix was the only one sleeping. "Jisung, I think we made a mistake... Jisung?" He called him, but not a single response was heard. Jisung was gone.

The others gave Seungmin the 'Jisung-left-a-while-ago-please-just-left-him-be' kind of look.

┉┉

Jisung has been searching for Minho for minutes. Minho wasn't in class, as he said beforehand.

"I'm going to class to finish my science project."

"What project? There's no—"

"Fuck, I'm such an idiotic asshole." Jisung continued his search. The bell rang as he was in the middle of his action. He didn't care, though.

He was about to give up. However, he accidentally spotted him in a park nearby, right outside the school.

His heart was dying to see him and talk to him. He wanted to take a step forward, but stopped halfway through his step as he saw the boy of his dream smiling happily with a stray cat on his lap.

From Jisung's point of view, he could see Minho talking sheepishly with the cat, whilst his fingers continued to play on the cat's neck, petting it lightly.

For Jisung, all he wanted was to have Minho's hand all over him once again and forever. He yearned for a glimpse of him by his side.

Taking a deep breath, Jisung walked his way to Minho's direction. Minho knew well about his surroundings, yet he pursued his careless behavior to avoid conversation.

"Minho-hyung," he called the cat lover only to be ignored.

Jisung sighed, but he didn't give up. Apology is a must. "I'm sorry for acting shitty. I was just—"

"I get it. You like Seungmin. You just wanted to toy with my feelings, not knowing how long it took me to reach this step, yet you pushed me down," Minho said, still not sharing eye contact with Jisung.

Jisung bit his lower lip. "No, listen to me first!"

"I don't need your explanation." Minho stood up, leaving Jisung alone.

And that's a mistake.

┉┉


	19. 18

Jisung bit his lower lip. "No, listen to me first!"

"I don't need your explanation." Minho stood up, leaving Jisung alone.

"Please don't leave..."

With shaky legs, Jisung tried his best to keep his composure, but failed nonetheless. The first tear dropped from his left eye. Later, his face was covered in broken tears. It was guilt, all because of his love for Minho.

The last thing he wanted was to have Minho hating on him. Minho has something that other people couldn't give him.

Jisung has lived his whole life having everything. He received so much attention from the people surrounding him. People would be jealous of him and his wealth. Despite having everything, he was missing something. It was love.

All the motivation speeches he had heard mostly told him to live a happy life and to enjoy the little things in life. Rather than living life to the fullest, living was like a chore for Jisung; a chore that requires to be done by a certain amount of time. When the time has due, it's all over. The boy fears failure.

"Don't leave me" was all he could say with his muffled voice. It wasn't a big deal, it's not like Minho's leaving the world. However, saying the sentence 'don't leave me' hurts him to the fullest. The image of having the person he loves the most left him without a trace brought him back to his childhood days. He hated his life ever since.

Clutching to his shirt so tightly, letting his foot trembled onto the green grass. He was crying, but at the same time hyperventilating. He almost collapsed until a steady hand embraced his fragile body, calming him. 

"Sung-ie, are you okay? What happened?" The same voice which heretofore scarred him was now worrying over him.

Hearing the nickname Sung-ie been spoken by the creator himself made him feel more alive.

Minho was seriously concerned when he heard the boy he left alone, crying. He tried to reject Jisung because he felt like being toyed by the younger, still, his heart was calling for that one name: Han Jisung.

Trying to cope with his panic attack, Jisung lied, "I t-think the food that I ate was poisoned. So s-sorry." He made a disgusted expression, not knowing exactly what to do at this point.

"Don't be sorry. Be yourself." Minho smiled so beautifully. He's incredibly pretty, but with that smile, he's heavenly.

Minho picked up Jisung's body at ease, then placed him on the nearby bench. Jisung covered his face as Minho picked him up. Jisung was a blushing mess, but little did he know that Minho was also blushing if he didn't cover his face with his stupid hands.

The moment he placed Jisung's body onto the wooden bench, he showered him with his touch. Jisung's breath was starting to become calm and calmer as his fingers moved slyly on his chin, down to his Adam's apple. The younger couldn't get a grip on himself, thus he kept letting out faint noises. Jisung was purring like a cat.

"Should I call Eunwoo for you? You need to rest." Minho lightly poked Jisung's dark eyebags. "You look like a war slave," Minho said, earning a confused look from Jisung. Minho was confused too.

On a daily basis, Jisung would sacrifice anything for him to be able to spend more time in his mansion. This time, though, was different.

Jisung panicked. "No, no, no, no! Anywhere but the damn mansion."

Minho pursed his mouth to a satisfied smirk. Jisung had previously broke Minho's heart by playing tricks on him. Now it's the time for the boy to taste his own medicine. It's payback time. (why do they keep doing this to each other sigh)

"To my house it is."

┉┉

They were sitting on Minho's car with Minho as the driver, driving all the way to his house which located far away from Jisung's. Jisung liked it, being in a new environment excites him every time.

Leaning his head onto the car window, Jisung's eyes wandered across the quiet road. From there he saw a flock of gulls decorating the dull sky. His fingers began to sketch the view using the fog created by the air conditioner within. The sight was heavenly, and it kept getting better as Minho turned to five different intersections. Is this a maze? If it is then I wanna be stuck with him forever, Jisung's mind mused.

The ride was excruciatingly silent, therefore Minho turned the car radio on. A smart idea actually. 

"Sweet talk to me, babe. It's magical. Sweet lullaby~" Jisung hummed as his favorite song was played on the radio.

Minho smiled upon hearing the younger's soft singing voice. The tone of his voice sent chills to his ears, down to his bone marrow. It was that good.

"I didn't know you can sing so well." Minho smiled as he speak, eyes still glued to the road.

Jisung was about to turn beet red. Somehow, he managed to pull it through successfully. "Shut up, that's my line." Receiving compliments has always made him feel insecure inside. "You sing better than me."

"No, you sing better."

"No, I don't. It has always been you," he stubbornly protested.

"Are you deaf? Your voice is amazing while mine's not."

"You're the deaf one. My singing voice literally sound like poorly played violin."

Minho growled, feeling his blood boiled from within. "Okay, I'm a better singer. You happy now?" 

"On a second thought, I sing better than you," Jisung said, twirling the tip of his imaginary William Howard Taft's mustache.

"Fuck you." Minho waved his middle finger notoriously towards Jisung.

"Yeah, fuck me—I mean look at the sky! There's a fucking rainbow. It's either the aftermath of a long lasting ghostly rain or the sky is just gay." Jisung swiftly changed the topic as he pointed at the sky above. Jisung's right, there's a beautiful rainbow stretching through the monotonous sky.

"It's so beautiful," Minho responded in synergy. Beautiful just like you, Minho told himself.

As the car continued to move in a slow pace... ever since Jisung demanded that he wanted to savor every moment, Jisung felt his eyelids getting heavier each time, hence he gave up. The rest of the road was filled with Jisung's faint snores from his parted lips.

Minho admitted that having Jisung sleep next to him was the best thing he could've asked for. He loved the way Jisung sleep so peacefully. It made him fall for him even more. However, he's scared. He's scared of himself.

Should boys like boys in a romantic way? Aren't relationships should revolves around people liking the opposite sex? Is it bad to like the same gender?

The thoughts kept coming back to him and he couldn't push them away.

Throughout his life, Minho had been searching for the true meaning of love and how does it feel to be in love with someone. There were several moments where he took interest in people. He simply thought it's love. Well it's actually love, but not in any sort of romantic love. It's empathy. This time though, it's somewhat different.

With Jisung, he felt his heart beats every time he laid his eyes on him. The feeling of falling in love for the first time was considered outré, but the same time, magic. He wanted to keep Jisung in his little pocket forever.

Passing through the last intersection, he could already spot his house.

"Maybe Chunhua is right. I should just accept myself for who I am. But the problem is..." Minho stopped mid-sentence, stealing a glance at the sleeping boy.

"Does he too?"

The question stung to him like a poison. Jisung was known for his quirky, sarcastic attitude. Therefore it caused him to overthink the situation. He might be joking.

He wasn't, though. It's just him and his negative thoughts.

Because he's the oblivious Lee Minho.

"What are we?"

Silent. Just silent.

┉┉


	20. 19

"Look, Dad! I'm flying," Jisung enthusiastically cheered. His hands won't stop flapping like a little bird.

Jumin sighed, adjusting his collar. "Jisung, stop hanging yourself on every item you found in this room. How many times do I have to tell you, flying isn't a doable activity that one's can do on a regular basis. It's commonly used in stories or films for a mere entertainment purposes. There is a sharp distinction between fantasy and reality."

Jisung whined, "But—"

"No buts. Now would you please go down and be realistic? I still have many things to do and yet to be finished."

Jisung untangled the rope which was attached around his waist and got down. He stomped out of the room with the biggest frown plastered on his face. He slammed the door in the process, not bothering to mutter a single word. Childhood tantrum at its finest.

Jisung was beyond pissed. In his small head, he wished to leave the house and live a life without Jumin. Not even thinking whether he could find a house or eat food for the rest of his life if that actually happened.

Running out of the mansion with his tears running, he promised himself to never step his foot inside the gigantic mansion.

It was a stupid escape planned by the stupid Han Jisung, luckily someone was there to crush his stupid dream of escaping.

It was his mother.

"Ouch!" Jisung rubbed his head in result of crashing onto his mother. Upon realizing the person she had just bumped, his mother rushed to his side to check on his condition.

She kneeled down to similarize their height. "Jisung-ah, why are you running out?" Jisung didn't answer, instead he let his tears fall again. She immediately knew the answer. "Well, well. Did something happen between you and daddy?"

Jisung nodded, tears continued to drip. "I see," she murmured under her breath. Remained calm, she parted Jisung's jet black bangs which covered his face. Puffy eyes, that's what she saw, thus she wiped the tears every time a single one drops.

"M-mom, can humans fly? Can I f-fly?" Jisung managed to spit those words between his sobbing.

"Of course, sweetie." She offered her hand to lead him out of the mansion. "Come with me. You wanted to go out, didn't you? I'll come with you."

Jisung looked at her in the eyes, smiling like an idiot. He accepted her hand wholeheartedly.

"That's the smile I've been looking for."

And so they walked around the neighborhood, sharing chit-chats throughout the way, smiling to each other along the journey. They were accompanied with the breeze of nature. They continued to walk notwithstanding the gray sky. Moreover, she didn't forget to bring an umbrella.

They saw birds flying away as they stepped closer. "Are the birds scared of me for not having wings to fly?" Jisung pouted, still angry the fact that his dream of flying wasn't valued enough by Jumin; his own father.

"Sweetie, you don't need wings to fly." She pinched Jisung's cheeks and continued, "You just need ambition. One's cannot fly without believing it can happen, even when someone else crushed your dream to fly."

Jisung stopped on his track, his mother too. "But he said to be realistic, I should be able to differentiate fantasy and reality."

She picked up Jisung's petite body and let him crawled to her shoulders. "You cannot obtain reality without experiencing fantasy. Reality tells you the way of living, fantasy tells you the map to reality. It's called dream, my love. That's the purpose of living, and it's to find you: the connecting door to both sides."

Jisung's eyes sparkled in excitement. "So we can actually fly? Because I want to fly above the clouds!" He exclaimed with his high-pitched tone, one finger pointing at the gray sky. She beamed as she followed the direction of Jisung's finger.

She nodded. "Yes. We can fly above the clouds after we passed the rain." She opened the umbrella with her left hand and placed the item right above their head. As if she predicted the future, the rain soon fell from the sky.

"As for now, be the umbrella for yourself and for the ones in need, so everyone is protected from the rain, in order to pass the rain and go beyond it." Jisung clutched to her tightly like a baby koala. Being the kid who constantly get locked inside the prison his father called home, the boy feared rain.

The sky is not perfect after all.

"Don't be afraid," she reassured her son with her sweet tone.

Drip. Drip.

"After that, let's fly together, shall we?"

Jisung's eyes widened in pure bliss. He didn't know such euphoria exists until his mother stroked his neck.

"Let's fly, Mom!"

Silence.

"Mom?"

"MOM?!"

"MOM!" Jisung practically yelled.

The door clicked open to reveal a panic Minho. The boy ushered to Jisung's side, hugging him tightly to his chest. Jisung could only cried.

It was a dream, but for Jisung it wasn't just a dream. It was his life, the bitter truth he had to swallow every single day, believing there's a purpose for everything that happened. There is, if he would open his eyes.

In order to perceive life from every perspective is to open both the eyes and mind; to have insight rather than a mere sight. Unfortunately, it's impossible to achieve such goal when the dark side of past blinded the mind.

You cannot light the past when it's dark. The darkness of past is your guide to reach the light, so you won't be trapped in the darkness once more.

Minho ran his delicate fingers through Jisung's blonde hair, feeling each strands. "You were crying in your sleep when I was in the middle of cooking."

Jisung observed his surroundings. The unfamiliar wall must be Minho's. He was in Minho's house, on his bed to be exact. He recalled himself sleeping on the journey to this place.

The sound of his vibrating phone interrupted their moment, but not their warmth.

Jisung checked his phone. 999+ notifications from Straight Kids group chat, 38 miss calls from Eunwoo, and too many messages from the same guy. Sighing, he opened Eunwoo's chat only to read the last bubble chat.

Eunwoo  
where the hell are you? don't you realize this is an inconvenient time to be missing >:(

Jisung chuckled, remembering he forgot to turn on his location for Eunwoo to find him.

Jisung  
ik, don't worry ♡

"Why are you smiling at your phone?" Minho peeked at Jisung's phone, but the boy retreated his phone back to his pocket. Minho could only spot the messenger and the sent heart emoji (♡) for it's the most noticeable thing he could spot in a mil second.

Minho liked Eunwoo's personality traits. However, he couldn't help but get jealous of their closeness together. First it's Seungmin, now it's Eunwoo. Maybe he likes him too much, to the fact he gets jealous of everyone who gets to understand him better than he does.

No, he's not gay. He's just so deeply in love with Jisung. The word like isn't enough to describe his feelings towards the younger. He cared for him, same goes for Jisung.

"Why's that Eunwoo guy so special to you? He's just your personal assistant." He wondered, not wanting to assume so easily.

"He's personal for a reason." Minho adjusted his position, preparing his ears to hear a real-life story he won't regret hearing.

"Mr. Han, please don't lock yourself in the closet. You must eat... and breathe." Eunwoo knocked Jisung's secret hideout several times, only to receive the same "No" over and over again. But he didn't stop.

"I may not be your parents, but please—"

"You're not, so don't act likewise." Jisung cried as he sputtered those words.

"I'm sure your mom doesn't want to see you suffer like—"

"STOP PLAYING THE MOTHER'S CARD!" He could control his emotions no more. Jisung was an emotional wreck. "After mom's gone, Jumin got himself a cat and ignored me more than ever. And now you're here, pretending to care because mom told you to? It's sickening. You're not my mom and you'll never be like her."

Eunwoo leaned his back on Jisung's closet. "I'm not her and I'm not planning to be like her." He ducked his head and buried it on his knees. "Yet she choose me to work here, no one ever did. She must have a reason for that."

"And what's that?" Jisung interrogated Eunwoo from inside.

"I don't know either. Maybe we should find out together." He stood up, about to leave. "But we can't find her true intentions unless you step outside the closet."

Jisung tried to find a word to defend him, yet he couldn't find any.

"You wanted to have a normal life like how kids your age live like. Let me tell you, it's not impossible. You just have to keep living, by living you have to eat, and by eating you have to step out."

Somehow triggered, Jisung slammed and came out of the closet with his tears left pouring.

"And what's the point of living without having someone to love?"

Eunwoo smirked, then approached Jisung. "You have, but you don't know who that person is, yet. Trust me, I'll do anything to make you happy." He embraced him with enough warmth. "Now tell me... do you have anything in mind?"

"I want to dye my hair blond." His tone was monotonous and somewhat captivating.

He cupped the boy's cheek with his full hands. "Then let's do it."

"But why blonde?" Minho suddenly asked in the middle of the story.

Jisung mentally face-palmed. "For fuck's sake, be patient." Minho immediately shut his mouth, scared. Jisung continued the story, "You're not the only one's curious."

Eunwoo wouldn't stop himself from touching Jisung's newly dyed hair. Still wasn't used to the new look.

"Out of many colors, why blond?" Eunwoo scratched the back of his head. "Not that it doesn't look good on you or what. I'm just curious."

Jisung wondered too. "I read somewhere that yellow is related to the ego and our sense of self worth, to how we feel about ourselves and how we are perceived by others. It's confusing, for that reason I choose yellow out of many colors."

Jisung whispered to Minho's ears, "That's correct, but to be more honest, I choose yellow because it represents happiness, innocence, and hope..."

"... and mostly because it stands out."

┉┉


	21. 20

"Thanks." Jisung gladly accepted the milk tea. It was 8:10 in the morning and the two still casually resting their butt on Minho's couch. They had accidentally slept through the night and no longer have the will to go to school.

Jisung felt glad that they're all alone, and that's when curiosity hit him like puberty.

Sipping his milk tea, he asked, "Do you live alone or perhaps your parents are on a business trip too?" He remembered the happiest day of his life: the moment his father's announced him that he won't be coming home for a couple of months due to the unavoidable business trip.

"My parents are dead, thus I live with my aunt," Minho answered calmly as if it's not worth remembering. "My aunt will be back whenever she's done with her voluntary work in a remote area."

Jisung bowed his head several times in shame. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's been a long time," He reassured the younger for him to not felt guilty anymore. "How are you feeling this morning?" He switched the topic faster than a light switch being played by children.

"Better than yesterday." He looked at Minho's eyes, wondering. "Do you love Chunhua?"

Minho was surprised with the question, but remained calm nevertheless. "As a friend, yes."

"But she's your ex. I thought she's into Hyunjin until I discovered they're soon to be siblings. Maybe your feelings—"

"Stop it," Minho demanded. Jisung obeyed. "Let me ask you this time. Do you love Seungmin?"

He confidentially admitted. "As a friend, yes." He went silent for a good ten seconds upon realizing that he had just basically copied Minho's answer.

You are what you eat. (i'm a chicken)

"Exactly."

Jisung began his blushing ritual wherever he's stuck in a sticky situation with Minho. To his luck, the sound of his phone saved him from further embarrassment.

"Hell—"

The caller cut him as soon as Jisung began speaking. "Why haven't you called me? Please tell me your location cause this is starting to get ridiculous." Right away he recognized the caller.

"Sorry, Eunwoo. The direction to this place is quite tricky, even Google Maps can't compute." Jisung turned his head to the guy who had been secretly listening to their phone calls. "Don't worry, Minho will drive me home safely, right?" He looked at him unsure, yet he nodded regardless.

"Minho? Don't tell me you had—"

"Bye-bye!" He hanged up right after.

Jisung and Minho shared another awkward moment of silence until Jisung heard the beautiful melody of Minho's morning fart. It didn't smell, but still, he pinched his nose.

"Take me home."

Minho pouted, poking Jisung's stomach with his fingers with his intent to tickle him, but Jisung's stomach was stiff as a board whenever he's encountered on a life-threatening situation likewise.

Minho didn't want Jisung to leave so soon to be honest. That's the main reason he got so desperate.

"Play with my kitties first, pretty pwease!" he said on an angry tone, which made it horribly unsatisfying. The younger though, was persistent. He clicked his tongue then mouthed an 'O' shape to symbolize the word No.

Top ten anime betrayals, Minho thought. "You meanie. Be thankful I'm still soft."

┉┉

Vroom vroom.

Silence. In the midst of cold zephyr, there's nothing but silent. Strange, empty, awkward silence radiating throughout the car.

Vroom vroom.

Still silent. Even the sound of human respiratory system was left unheard and soon forgotten. With Minho on the driver's seat and Jisung on the passenger's seat, both only shared mini glares from the corner of their eyes.

Vroom vr—

"Jisung."

The mentioned boy hm to the caller. He seemed calm. However, his stomach couldn't stop jumping out of his esophagus due to the soaring excitement which engulfed his body. He knew very well that Minho was being serious to the fact that he had dropped the nickname Sung-ie. (this is just a hyperbole, his esophagus is alrite)

"Do you still like me?"

The question surprised Jisung. A blush crept to his cheeks as the thought of Minho and him being together appeared. It was a mixture of happiness and embarrassment, with a pinch of anxiety—stirred together to create the perfect dish called 'ohmygodijustfuckedupmylife'. Even Gordon Ramsay would approve.

Startled, Jisung was lost for words. Mouth agape, still, he couldn't admit... just yet. The sound of working engine was the only speaker.

To be quite honest, Minho was aware of Jisung's feelings. Notwithstanding the evidence, he would like Jisung to speak to him directly on his face.

He wanted Jisung to like him and only him; not Seungmin, nor Eunwoo. Selfish? That's his middle name.

Not hearing the answer he'd been expecting, he smirked, then took a sharp turn and drifted the car like a pro. He was used to the feeling of having his organs get thrown out of his body as a born adventurous boy he is. Jisung though, wasn't.

"Motherfuckinpieceofworthlesscuntlickingdegeneratesackofballessbastardprobingbitchsuckingshit." Jisung took a deep breath and continued cursing, "Fuck you, you fucking cumswaping assfucking shit lickin' cock-knocker, suck a fucking dick out of my fucking faggot-cream filled fucking fuckhole, I'll fuck yer goddamn ass back to the fuckin past and fuck yer scissorfightin looseasagoose aidsbag of a retard bitch mother up her fucking rotbox of a shitshoot with a fucking lepars severd fucking stump that way yer goddamn fuckin' abortion that lived ass will never fucking be... so fuck you, you fuckin' fucker!"

Minho wanted to speak, but the younger wasn't finished cursing.

He inhaled a large amount of air conditioner. "For fuck's sake, you fucking did the fucking shit on purpose, didn't you? Fucking get a tampon, you piece of shit!" Jisung drank a lot of water after finishing the longest sentence of his life. He was out of breath the moment he bellowed out those words from his not-so virgin mouth.

Minho didn't gave up. After having his pride stepped on, he acted cool. In fact, he unbuckled his seat belt and leaned his body close to Jisung. Pinning him onto the car window, he put the latter's hand out, extended his four fingers, thumb tucked in. Jisung didn't know what to do, therefore the older decided to take the lead. A hand palmed-down under Jisung's chin. Giving a flirtatious waggle whilst his lips moved sideways, carefully brushing his ears with the moisture within his lips in the most flirtatious way as possible. He didn't regret using his most favorite strawberry chapstick.

"I said, do you still like me?" Jisung's lips quivered in mayhem. Chills spreading throughout his skin. If they were people watching them from outside, they would most definitely mistaken their action. They looked like a desperate couple trying to shove their problems away by forcefully making out in the car.

"If you don't speak, I'll drift the car again." Minho warned. "Do you still like me?"

"No."

Damn right. I should be thankful when he's still soft, Jisung mentally cursed himself.

"Okay~" Minho showed his goofy smile, then pulled his body backwards and proceeded on driving the car as if nothing had happened.

Fuck, I'm totally whipped for that smile. As a soft stan, Jisung almost fainted after witnessing god's beautiful smile.

┉┉

"Eunwoo-chan! There you are." Eunwoo shot Minho an angry look. "Don't give me that look. Why don't you pick up the bride on the passenger's seat and smooch him."

Minho unlocked the car door for Eunwoo. "If you don't, I'll volunteer myself and only myself as a tribute."

"The only reason I won't go berserk on you because..." Eunwoo took glance at the lifeless Jisung. "... just because."

Minho and Eunwoo exchanged winks several times until Jisung had a mental breakdown. Ally? That's what Eunwoo and Minho are.

Minho waved them goodbye. "Sayonara~"

As soon as Minho was no longer in sight, Eunwoo crossed his arms and looked at Jisung in pure disappointment.

Eunwoo took a deep breath. "What in the world are you thinking, huh? You think going out overnight without any sort of informations will do us justice? Hell no." Eunwoo's voice was sharp. Sharp enough to cut Jisung's tongue, but not sharp enough slice his neck's off.

Tears started to form on Jisung's eyes. Eunwoo didn't pity him, Jisung too. And never will.

Eunwoo tried to soften his voice. "I'm worried, we're all worried for you. We have no idea about your whereabouts and your wellbeing. Even Elizabeth wouldn't touch her food."

Feeling another tear dropped, Jisung pulled Eunwoo into a tight embrace.

"I finally understand."

"Understand what? What are you talking about?" Eunwoo was nothing but puzzled.

Jisung eyes traveled into Eunwoo's. "For my life, I've been holding grudges against you. My mind is a tinted piece of paper. I simply thought your tendency to act mom-like was all because of her. Because you're told to take care of me, and I hate you for replacing her position." Jisung wiped his own tears. "But now my eyes are open wide. I may be a tinted piece of paper, but you didn't try to delete or replace the paper. Instead you make it look beautiful..."

"...and Eunwoo, you are beautiful. Mommy may be beautiful, but so are you. Sorry for wasting your time and for every other wrong things that I've done to you."

Eunwoo tighten the hug, enjoying each warmth. "My time with you won't come to a waste. It's a blessing."

For Jisung, sharing a serious and deep conversation wouldn't come out easy. But when it happened, it was the best decision ever made. He was like a shy kitten; afraid of touch, runs away easily, shitting everywhere. Now, he's a brave kitten waiting for his owner to give him the love he deserves.

The time always come, hence he must be patient.

"Thanks for everything, Eunwoo."

Eunwoo let go of Jisung's body. "Why are you suddenly acting all honest and stuff, hm?"

"Do you still like me?"

"No."

Jisung smiled. He smiled.

"Because I just lied to someone."

┉┉


	22. 21

Jisung headed to the base camp with the biggest frown plastered on his face. As if the boy had just encountered a group of bullies, though it's just him and his thoughts all night long.

Ever since he saw the other part of Minho: the more flirtatious side, Jisung decided to cut his deal with Seungmin regarding the jealousy plan. Seungmin himself respected his decision wholeheartedly.

"You're late" was all Chan said to him the moment he turned the door knob to open the door.

Jisung didn't bother to make an excuse, he's too mentally and physically tired to pick a quarrel. Instead, he went to Felix and laid his body on his back.

"Are you okay, Bro?" Felix touched Jisung's hand but his body temperature took him a surprise. Jisung's skin was burning hot. "You're crazy hot. Are you sure you can survive two to three hours practicing?"

Practicing? Jisung thought a little too deeply, he even fell asleep while thinking. The blonde had missed their usual Straight Kids meeting on the base camp because he was at a better place: Minho's house.

In contrary of Jisung's action, Minho just woke up from his deep slumber.

"Hyung, can I go home?" Minho rubbed his eyes, pointing to the exit door behind Changbin.

Chan scratched his head, confused. "We haven't started our practice yet and you missed the last practice." But Chan could sense something, he somewhat felt like it's an urgent matter. "You can go. If you need any help, just contact us."

Minho nodded, then stretched his body. Seconds later, he was no longer in the room.

To be honest, Jisung just wanted to give Minho a big hug if he, himself wasn't sick and tired.

"Practice? What kind of practice are we doing?" Jisung scrunched his nose as he felt the slimy liquid coming from his nostrils.

"Remember when I planned to separate us into three sub-groups? Yeah, that thing won't happen anymore." Chan glared at Changbin. He gulped, petrified by the look on Chan's fiery eyes.

"What? Why? I was lowkey eager to be in 3RACHA," Jisung admitted.

"3RACHA my ass, we're doing 9RACHA now." Changbin crossed his legs.

Flashback...

Chan stood up, trying to explain his plan. "If we performed on three different groups consisting three people, it would be much easier for us. Too much cook spoils the broth, so we must lessen the amount of people in the group." He looked at Changbin in the eyes and continued, "Last time we're having a meeting here, we have all agreed to this terms and conditions."

"Objection." Changbin raised his hand, much to Chan's displeasure.

Changbin stood up, giving Chan the provocative look. "I like your plan, except it sucks. So let me do the plan, and that way, it might be really good," he commented nonchalantly.

"Did you just make a Marvel's reference?" Hyunjin suddenly asked.

Changbin hissed. "Hyunjin, what are you talking about? We're having an important argument. This is no time for a Marvel's reference."

"There's always time for a Marvel's reference!"

"Alright, okay! I was making a Marvel's reference," Changbin admitted. Both Changbin and Hyunjin were crying because of a Marvel's reference.

"I'm still here."

"Okay, back to business." Changbin cleared his throat. "In my opinion, rather than having three people, it's always better to have nine."

"That's not a good enough argument," Chan remarked, crossing his arms.

"Are you dumb? We don't have enough time to create three sophisticated performances. Having nine people proves that we're a cohesive group. Haven't you heard the more the merrier phrase? Besides, you choose nine people, so we have to combine our strengths together."

"He's right!" Felix cheered from behind.

Woojin supported Changbin's argument. "I agree. You choose nine, so it's either nine or none."

Changbin smirked upon receiving approvals. "And the only way to make us stand out is to perform something different."

Chan challenged him. "By different, do you have any idea or you just wanted to bully me?"

Felix jumped out in excitement. "Ooh, I know! Let's do cosplay as cartoon, anime, or game characters! I wanna be Kanye West." Changbin gave him a thumbs up.

"Yeah, then we dance to a song about protecting our environment," Seungmin added.

"We can also promote metal straw and other environmentally friendly products." Jeongin pulled out his metal straw and continued, "Our school supports recycled products. Pay attention, all the utensils in the school's cafeteria are recycled products."

"See?" Changbin was happy that everyone supports him.

"And that's the story about me being a joke for five minutes." Chan finished his story with a poker face. "Gosh, I still one more person to share this story with. What a way to embarrass myself."

"That's fine, Mate. We made mistakes too. Maybe this is just one of your karma."

"Enough of that. Let's get straight to practice." Chan cued the boys to stand up.

"Aye-aye captain!"

┉┉

"Jisung, are you okay?"

"Mhm." Jisung wasn't alright. His head wouldn't stop spinning every time he made a move. Practicing wasn't a great idea after all. He's sick but he kept pushing himself further.

"I think you should rest in your house." Felix stopped the music. "Woojin-hyung! Do you have any medicine that can help Jisung?" He could only think of Woojin since his girlfriend is a part of the red cross community, thus he considered the couple as adept doctors.

"Let me see." Woojin checked on Jisung's body condition, then he fiddled with his waist bag. "I'm still an apprentice, but believe me, this thing works." He pulled out an item from his bag. Jisung nodded, too weak to give out his usual impulsive attitude.

"T-thanks." He coughed while talking.

"Now, why don't you head home before your head kills you first." Woojin helped Jisung stood up and collect the things he brought. "It's okay, Chan won't kill you."

"I'm not afraid of him." He laughed with his weak tones. The object of their gossip, Chan himself, was rather too busy calling out for sponsors to notice that Woojin and Jisung were talking about him behind his back.

"Thanks for the medicine, bye-bye!"

With that, Jisung walked out of the building. The sound of pouring rain surprised him. He flinched as his headache started to disturb him. Jisung stayed silent, not wanting to be burdensome to the people who cared for him.

Jisung always fell ill whenever the season starts to change. His body was still partying in summer vibes whereas the seasonal change saw this as their opportunity to attack Jisung. Poor boy, he didn't do anything wrong.

Outside, the boy saw nothing but few cars passing through the rain, sometimes he heard honking sounds from the cars as they attempted to call out someone to open the gate within the Cape Cod styled house. The design looked somewhat simple, yet the stone drafting elevated its value. He reckoned it's an old house, judging from its front porch's worn off white paintings—slightly dirty now. From a few meters away, the boy was busy capturing images which turned out blurry like his eyes.

"Eunwoo, are you busy?" Jisung dialed his assistant in loudspeaker whilst feeling the raindrops falling on his left palm.

"I was but I'm willing to sacrifice my time. Do you want me to pick you up?" He offered from the other line. His voice sounded weird as he tried to speak after gulping a large amount of water.

"Do you plan on going somewhere else?"

"Don't bother. It's too imaginative anyway. Should I pick you up now?" Jisung could hear Eunwoo's panicked voice, judging from the increasing number of speed when he's talking.

"Tell me."

Eunwoo refused but Jisung refused back. "I haven't met my boyfriend for months and I was thinking about paying him a surprise visit, but if your schedule collides with mine, I shouldn't force things according to my will." He could feel the disappointment in Eunwoo's voice.

"Eunwoo, take a break. Meet him. I can go home on my own. Besides, the sky is clear here, perfect for a sidewalk." He slipped out a big lie. The sky was anything but clear. "I'll order a cab as soon as I spot one."

Eunwoo sighed. "You don't have to. A random cab won't ensure your safety."

"And making you drive all the way here with an empty hole in your heart won't ensure mine too."

"Fine. Thanks for your kindness, but please be safe, okay? You know how much it scares me to see you alone in the darkness of life."

Jisung smiled. "I'll be fine, momma Eunwoo. I promise."

"Well, if you say so..."

┉┉


	23. 22

Jisung smiled. "I'll be fine, momma Eunwoo. I promise."

"Well, if you say so..."

Jisung ended the call like the call ender he is. Throughout his life, he has ended more calls than any other human can possibly do. Most calls he received were advertisements. From property ads to condoms. He had tapped the end call button more than Rihanna mentions Ella in the song Umbrella.

Swinging his hands in excitement, Jisung's hand snatched one of the spare umbrellas that Chan have prepared. Out of 14 umbrellas ranging from the brightest yellow to the monochromatic emo umbrella, Jisung choose the golden one for its being the one to grab his attention whatsoever.

Jogging his foot, purposely jumping on puddles as what his heart desired. Getting his shearling boots drenched may didn't sound very delightful, but at this point, there's no point in keeping up with his standards anymore. In fact, he was happy with the thought that the puddles would wash away the obnoxious odor within his boots.

Houses passed by, several shops went by, and a warm cup of coffee was his closest companion. Jisung never expected himself to enjoy walking beneath the rainy sky with an expresso which he bought seconds ago.

"A duck walked up to a lemonade stand. And he said to the man, running the stand." He spun his fidget spinner as he sing. "Hey! Got any grapes?"

"The man said..." Shrugging, he replied to himself, "No we just sell lemonade. But it's cold and it's fresh and it's all home-made. Can I get you  
Glass?"

"The duck said, 'I'll pass.' Then he waddled away-waddle waddle 'til the very next day." He was so into the song that he forgot he had fever.

"Bum bum bum bum ba-bada-dum-oh fuck no!" Jisung threw his fidget spinner, attempting to catch the item with his two fingers. However, the fidget spinner slipped through his grip and fell onto the puddles.

In a flash, he bent over to reach the fallen fidget spinner. He held his breath as his fingers wandered inside the water. On the process, a ring slipped from his pocket due to his body position. The ring fell on the flat ground, then spun itself like a tire.

He sighed. "Fever, I'm sorry but you're not my priority anymore." Squinting his eyes, Jisung hurriedly chasing his ring like it's the most precious jewel in the universe. He was fast but the ring was faster.

"... please be safe, okay? You know how much it scares me to see you alone in the darkness of life."

He stopped on his track as the sound of a honking car coming to his direction. The car stopped too, just in time. His expresso though, was no longer expresso.

The driver got out of the car, looking unamused. "Idiot! Use your fucking eyes!" He saw fingers pointing to his direction in a distasteful manner, judging him for his stupid act. Jisung was beyond startled. No words had managed to escape his mouth.

"Were you not listening to me?! Get the fuck out of the way before I drive you over!" The angry driver went back to the car, honking again and again to make sure Jisung wasn't in his way. Jisung yelped in surprise, then crawled to the rear with wobbly legs.

"Kids these days are so damn ridiculous." The driver hit the gas with a powerful kick, going wherever he's heading to. The car soon vanished from Jisung's eyes.

Wincing in pain, the combination of fever, shock, and being kissed on the cheek by the asphalt seemed to be perfect for Jisung. His eyes traveled everywhere, until he found an item he's been looking for: The ring. Collecting whatever's left in his body, the boy stood up, fixed his golden umbrella, then continued his plan.

"There you are." He collected the ring and placed it inside his pocket again, didn't seem to learn from experience. "Ouch!" He muttered, tilting his head upwards to have his temple fondled. But the moment his eyes opened, he was met with Minho's soft ones. Crying.

Minho eyes were wet, not because of the rain droplets. Minho was... crying perhaps? The sound of Minho's sniffles crushed Jisung's heart to the core. He wouldn't mind having a little talk. However, it seemed like Minho had taken no interest upon engaging in any sort of conversation with Jisung.

So without words, Jisung stood up. His stomach were in the same height level as Minho's head. Quietly, he placed the golden umbrella on top of them, covering both of them from the relentless droplets from the sky.

Meanwhile Minho just sit there, frozen. The tears had stopped flowing as his eyes went wide open. Suddenly the rain stopped for him and just for him.

"What a handsome boy like you doing in the rain all by yourself?"

Slowly, his head turned upwards. That's when he was met with Jisung's beautiful eyes and the shiny umbrella above them.

"J-jisung?!" He was too mesmerized to react normally. Jisung took this opportunity to sit down on the wet bench next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"My ring take me here." He showed him the exact ring that had previously fell on the asphalt. "What about you?"

His lips quivered each time Jisung blinked. "I was j-just... you know, uhh-uhh?" His train of words stopped moving as he felt a warm hand caressed his cheeks, wiping all the leftover tears away.

"It's okay, Hyung." Jisung's hand continued wiped the tears. Minho didn't dare to look him in the eyes during those times. "What are you-"

"It's their anniversary." His lips trembled as he speak those words. Jisung was almost finish cleaning Minho's face, until the same liquid streamed down once more. This time was worse than the previous one.

Jisung wanted to ask but Minho was fast to answer. "My parents." He held Jisung's hand, stopping him. "Today is their anniversary, but they're dead though. I can't blame them for not being in this world anymore."

"My dad likes milk chocolate, whereas my mom likes hazelnut. My dad was a florist, he likes flowers, whereas my mom likes bees, since she used to do beekeeping as her hobby. They were two and will always be. They're different, but they complement each other very well. He was the eyes and she was his vision, but fate erased their sight, blinded them forever."

Jisung's eyes sparkled as tears began to form in his eyes. Minho's words had brought him to alternate universe and he couldn't help but feel sorry for his loss.

"It's unfair." Minho constantly muttered those words away. "They're always together, even after death. What about me? They left me alone. Now I'm trapped in this world alone, being able to do absolutely nothing but mourning over their death."

If kissing Minho made him feel better, he would gladly do so. However, at this time, a warm embrace was enough to show him that he cared.

"Hyung, you are not alone."

With his left hand still holding the umbrella, the other hand was circling his back. Minho's head was buried on the crook of Jisung's neck. Both matched perfectly together.

Jisung whispered calmly, "Your parents must be happy to see you doing well. Believe me, their life may had left them, but the sight remains present to you. They're still here somewhere, watching you with a smile on their face because you are... so precious."

"Thanks." Minho's eyes felt sore but he wouldn't stop crying. Sadness, regret, and gratitude combined as one. Different emotions rushing throughout his body.

"But they're not here, Jisung. I have to move on but I can't. I can't withstand the reality of losing them from my grip. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm lost. They're my sight, my direction."

"Shhh... it's okay." He calmed the dark haired boy with his presence. "Hyung."

"Yes?"

"Open your eyes."

"What?"

Jisung smiled. "Open your eyes. Open them from the outside and inside. When you open your eyes, you'll realize that the world you're living in is kinda beautiful. Scarred, but that what makes it so beautiful..."

"... look around you. Then you'll see that you are not alone, you are never alone."

"You have me," Jisung said, blushing underneath the umbrella.

"Jisung..." Minho was crying this whole time, he pretending to smile when he's in pain. Minho was that guy. He cared for others only, to the moment he forgot to open his eyes.

Minho gently pushed Jisung's body away from him. He looked up, there he saw a golden umbrella, then he looked at the holder, Han Jisung, with his eyes still glassy. He saw Jisung smiling sincerely at him. Jisung was right.

"But who's gonna give you an umbrella when you need one?"

Minho replied to Jisung's smile with a smile. It was a genuine smile. Minho's first genuine smile.

"Now that's the smile I'm looking for."

Minho didn't waste any time. In ease, he pulled Jisung's face to him and went for a kiss. Jisung was shocked, but Minho continued to kiss him whatsoever. Their lips connected together like a perfect match. Jisung adjusted himself, then finally relaxed his lips and went with the flow. Both shared an equal amount of warmth from the kiss, stealing each breaths away as their lips swiftly moved, with their tongues dancing in perfect melody with the rain.

Then the umbrella fell from Jisung's hand.

┉┉


	24. 23

The rain was still falling out there, but the boys were safe and sound underneath the blanket.

The door swung open, revealing a not so happy Eunwoo with a handful of medications. His facial expression softened the moment his eyes were met with his young master's. Eunwoo then walked to him after placing the tray full of medical needs on the table nearby.

Eunwoo gently placed his head on Jisung's forehead. "You're burning." Beside Jisung, there lied Minho in the same condition as Jisung.

"Please drink the medicine, you too." He glanced at the boy next to Jisung. "Drink the medicine as it prescribed." After that, he left the room.

Jisung sniffed his lungs out as soon as Eunwoo closed the door.

"This is why we shouldn't kiss. Not only we dropped the umbrella, but you literally absorbed the virus within me." Jisung wiped his runny nose with a tissue, making his nose looked redder than before due to the friction from the tissue. "Look at you," he said, looking at Minho.

Minho smiled, looking right at the eyes. "I have no regrets."

Minho leaned closer to kiss the blonde. Jisung gasped to the kiss but stayed still nonetheless. His body was too weak to even pushed the older away since he was practically above him. As observed, people closer to the ground are much weaker than those aloft.

However, it didn't last as long as Minho would've imagined. Though the kiss was short, thanks to Jisung for coughing midway.

"S-stop!" Jisung demanded, still coughing. "We're not going to heal if you do that again."

"Do what?" Minho teased, lips brushing to Jisung's side. Jisung whimpered to the intimate contact, then punched Minho to another realm. What a fucker.

Jisung stood up, throwing the medicine to Minho, which he surprisingly caught. "Swallow it. We can't be sick forever. You have cats to feed, same goes for me."

They drank the medicine as they were told to do. Trying to reduce the zombie-like vibes, Jisung opened the curtain to to reveal the semi bright sky. The rain almost stopped falling, therefore the beautiful sunset started showing itself. Jisung was expecting a rainbow though, but it's a rare occasion yet to happen.

Still mesmerized by the scenery outside, Jisung asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I was drawn to your lips," he simply answered the question.

"Not just once, you kissed me twice already." Jisung went back to the bed, sitting comfortably on the mattress. "What are we?"

"Humans."

Not satisfied with the answer, the younger slammed the bedsheets with the power of God and anime by his side. No one asked what the bedsheets felt like. If the bedsheets could talk, Jisung would be roasted, grilled, and scrambled alive.

"YAH, I was being serious, you fool. Stop ruining the mood, you fucking hoe!" Jisung was being considerate with his choice of words. He was proud of himself for not cursing, though he said the F word.

"Okay." Minho adjusted his position, now sitting straight—or sitting gay on the mattress.

Minho had no expression on his face, although his eyes were piercing through Jisung's soft ones.

"We're friends."

Friends? Just friends? I was expecting more to be honest, Jisung's thoughts danced inside of his head.

"Oh."

Minho's mouth twitched upwards. "What's wrong? Do you want us to be more?"

"I strongly disagree with your sentiment there." Jisung crossed his legs, applying nail polish on the tip of his nails.

"Are you mad?" Minho chuckled on his own jokes. Jisung on the other hand, was a complete mess. "You are so funny when you're disappointed. I can't believe I'd take you on a second date."

Jisung tilted his head in confusion. "We've dated?"

"Haha..." Minho wiped his tears of joy. "Do you not remember us watching a movie and kissed at the end of the day?"

"Nope." Jisung shook his head. "When was this?"

"Next weekend."

You smooth ass motherfucker, Jisung cursed loudly in his head, he didn't realize that he had dropped all the substance inside the nail polish tube from his lap.

Jisung's face was red as tomato. However, he collected enough bravery to gaze Minho's eyes in a serious manner. He pulled out his pinky and showed it directly to the older's face.

"Boyfriends it is."

Minho grinned happily, connecting his pinky to Jisung's slender one. Together, they tightened their fingers as they formed a weird shape. "Boyfriends it is, Sung-ie." Minho cupped Jisung's side profile, admiring God's work for a full minute. He wanted to kiss the boy again, but Jisung swatted his naughty hands away.

"Not now, you thirsty bastard." Jisung untangled their pinky as he left the room with a mask on to prevent virus transmission.

Now Minho was sitting alone inside Jisung's dim bedroom. Jisung's soft eyes were now replaced with the ecru coated wall. The sunset radiating from outside the glass window illuminated the room, beautifully tinted the bland wall and made it look absolutely astonishing. The beautiful sight reflected on Minho's eyes, coloring his iris. He was glowing for the first time in forever.

"Find someone that will make you happy. Find someone whose lips taste better, the one that makes you crave for more. It doesn't matter if it's a she or he."

"Looks like I've found the apple of my eye." He gave himself a proud smile before banging his body on the mattress for the sickness to attacked him so randomly.

It took him years to find his perfect love. Hopefully he won't let it slip away like last time, because it only takes a second to lose everything he had achieved.

┉┉

"So it's true? You guys are finally official?"

Jisung scratched the back of his head, face tinted in different shades of red color. "Shh! You know I'm still not used to the term dating, so would you please calm down and be the calm and collected Eunwoo you are..?"

Eunwoo couldn't contain his excitement to the point he dropped the broom.

"Are you kidding me? I have to tell Bambam. I bet he'll jump off the window and still happy." With that being said, Eunwoo jolted away from his little boss to complete his mission: telling Bambam the chronicle of Minsung.

It wasn't even a minute and Bambam was already running to Jisung like his life depends on him. Jisung was mentally prepared for whatever's going to happen at this point.

"Step on me!" Bambam slammed Jisung on the ground. Eunwoo was following from behind with a pair of earplugs.

I'll have to buy earplugs soon before I suffer more, Jisung mentally noted.

Bambam was sputtering either nonsense or incoherent wishes and, furthermore, 100% horseshit. Jisung was positive that his symptoms were getting worse, thanks to the unsupportive neighborhood.

Jisung was beyond happy. He was grateful for everything that happened. He didn't regret turning down Eunwoo's offering and choose the conservative way of walking home.

Simplicity makes the most complex outcomes in most circumstances.

Jisung entered the bedroom with a tray of healthy snacks. Eunwoo had persuaded to help him, but he rejected the kind offer nonetheless. He wanted to be an independent young man, and the best way to be an independent young man is by practice.

Jisung kicked the door open for its not locked within or outside. He expected the sick boy to be asleep by now. Howbeit, Minho was far from being asleep. He was feeling fresh like a freshly baked lasagna about to get eaten.

He was welcomed with the beautiful voice of Minho's singing.

"Rock a bye baby, gently you swing. Over the cradle, Mother will sing. Sweet is the lullaby over your nest, that tenderly sings my baby to rest~"

Jisung continued the song. "From the high rooftops, down to the sea. No one's as dear as baby to me. Wee little hands, eyes shiny and bright. Now sound asleep until morning light..."

Minho finished the song beautifully. "Rock a bye baby, on the tree top. When the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks the cradle will fall. And down will come baby, cradle and all."

Jisung handed the tray of healthy snacks to Minho, which he gladly accepted. "You like the song so much, don't you?" He picked one of the snacks on the tray, putting it inside his mouth. "I happen to like it either."

Minho asked, "Do you know the meaning of the song?"

"Yes, I do." Jisung ate another snack. The snacks turned out to be delicious, much to his surprise. "The lyrics are scary, thinking it's supposed to be a lullaby for babies. But the intention is for mothers to pour their worries away to ease their burden, so they can relax for a bit. The song itself turns to be a healing song for mothers."

Minho nodded. "Yes. A mother just wants the best for her child, therefore she would do anything to protect her child. All the sacrifices are worth it at the end of the day, at least that's what people said."

Looking determined, Jisung assured him, "Of course it's all worth it." He. played with the loose bedsheets. "Mother told me that."

Minho noticed the younger's change of attitude. Without wasting another time, he hugged Jisung so tightly to his chest, protecting him at all cost. Jisung could hear the sound of Minho's heartbeat. It soothed him like music.

Jisung didn't know for sure, but there's something about Minho that reminds him of someone, a certain individual. Maybe that's the reason he liked him so much. No, it wasn't a mere liking, it was love. He was certain.

┉┉


	25. 24

"Guess what happened to me!" Jisung jumped like crazy as soon as he arrived at school.

Seungmin pinched the bridge of his nose. "What? You're dating Minho?"

"Yeah, it's definitely Minho," Hyunjin remarked.

Jeongin nodded, Yeji and Chunhua too from afar.

"He must be dating Minho, can't think of anything else," Walmart said, shrugging. Even Walmart joined the It's Minho squad.

However, Felix objected. "Come on guys, you got it wrong. It's too obvious, he can't be dating Minho." Felix gave Jisung a big gummy smile, which returned with a dark expression from his best friend.

Out of the blue, the mentioned boy entered the classroom. Minho ran to Jisung and held his hand, saying, "Guess what? We're dating." Then left them speechless.

Chunhua made a fake surprised look on her face. "Oh look, it's Minho!" Her mouth forming an O shape just to be extra.

Hyunjin pouted. "Woah, can't believe it's actually Minho!" Everyone in the building could taste the sarcasm in Hyunjin's voice.

"Oh, what a surprise."

"So unbelievable, too good to be true."

"Fuck you all." Felix slammed his head to the table 26032018 times as a form of punishment for himself for not realizing the most obvious thing in the world.

The bell for the first period almost rang and everyone's already at class. What a surprise. Even the naughtiest kid, which is (y/n) was already sitting on the back corner of the class, scribbling down unnecessary curse words while sketching boobs on the chemistry book. The boobs were somehow symmetrical, even to (y/n)'s surprise.

Jisung sat beside Felix as usual, Hyunjin and Seungmin sat together as they were no longer fighting each other, Jeongin sat beside Chunhua—in front of Jisung, and the rest were all chaotic. Jisung started to wonder whether the students are allergic to school or is the school is allergic to students. For Jisung, school is more like a place for him to hang out with his friends and argue with hard-headed bitches to spice up his monochromatic life.

The teacher haven't arrived, yet Felix was already dozing off and that action itself seemed to infect others as Chunhua's head dropped on the table. Later, the class was filled with different snorings, it agitated Jisung to the fullest. He didn't remember how many times had he stomped his foot out of anger.

However, the sound of snoring was like a virus and he was infected by it. The next thing he saw was pure darkness.

That's when a hand slapped him back to wakefulness. What an ass, he cursed inside his head.

"SorryMr.DIdidn'tmeantosleepI'mjusttiredasfuckandsleepingsoundsgreattothepointIquestionmyselfwhetherIshouldregretmydecisionornotbutitseemslike... oh, it's not Mr. D at all." Jisung sighed, ruffling his own hair. "It's just a regular sized dick," he mocked the person standing before him with the nametag 'Bang Chan' tangled on his fancy Burberry shirt.

"Tch, no one's gonna bang you," Jisung murmured under his breath. "What's your business, Christopherina?"

Chan motioned Jisung to be quiet. "We're skipping school, so would you please be quiet for once." Jisung looked around. He was shocked when he saw his friends and several other Straight Kids members lying on the ground altogether, unconscious. That is an elephant in the room, well is it relevant to assume that Chan had drugged the whole squad for his pleasure.

Chan flicked Jisung's forehead. Jisung went "Aye!" but Chan ignored him regardless. "This is not what do you think it is. I'm just dragging y'all outta this school, not drugging. See? Drag not drug, you bastard." Jisung was still sulky, thus he had to explain his big plan.

"Okay, Sandy. I find it really bothersome for all the students to fall asleep this day. The teachers are probably sleeping too. After all they couldn't be seen in any classes or rooms whatsoever." Chan took a deep breath. "Since I'm the only one's not infected by this weird ass sleeping chain virus, I decided to collect y'all outside the school and to the base camp for safety."

Jisung's eyes traveled to his sleeping boyfriend. "Fine, I'll help you." With that, he helped Chan dragging the boys out of the school building and soak them with non-destructive chemical acid while singing Happiness by Red Velvet. However, he changed the lyrics from Happiness to Hot Penis.

"Shine on me—holy shit they're awake!" Jisung immediately hugged Felix since it has always been bros before hoes. Pure tears streamed down his face.

"Practice time, hoes! We don't have a whole century to spend." Chan clapped in the most annoying way as possible, hence everybody moved their asses and began practicing as they were told.

The practice went out smoothly. The choreography wasn't difficult, even Jisung thought that it's too easy, even for kids. Chan though, was a great leader which surprised him. He may be a total weirdo with cash to spend and lots of girls and boys to play their feelings with whenever he's bored and stuff. However, when he's being Bang Chan: the leader, everything seemed to work out perfectly fine. Needless to say, it's perfect.

The word perfect can be rolled either way, depends on which boat you're floating with. Supposedly, Jisung was capable of coping with the practice, but he was easily distracted.

Minho distracted him quite often with his natural beauty. The way his hair flipped every time he jumped or made a big move left a huge impact on Jisung's heart and mental stability. The way his eyes were ever so focused on the choreographer (Hyunjin) and his own reflection. The way his clothes got drenched by his own sweat. Even the way the breathed mesmerized him as if. he's watching God's blessing before his eyes. Jisung's eyes were filled with love and pure adoration to the hip thrust king.

"Jisung, let's go home." Minho patted Jisung's back, bringing him back to reality.

Jisung snapped back. "No, no, no! Can I crash at your place? I umm..." Jisung tried to come up with a clever excuse. "Eunwoo is having a date and he told me to come with you since he ships us so much." He was half lying.

"If you say so... let's go then." Minho pulled Jisung hand and lead him to his car. Jisung didn't know for sure, but the overall energy coming out from Minho wasn't really strong today. Something was clearly bothering him, but he couldn't point that out exactly. He wanted to ask him questions, but decided against it—not wanting to burden him more.

The car ride wasn't filled with conversation as usual. It was more filled with Jisung's singing voice whenever the radio played his favorite sappy love songs. Minho was overjoyed by the angelic voice of Jisung, to the point he didn't realize that he had joined him singing. Both of them blushed upon recognizing each other's voices and the way they harmonized each other very well. They should collaborate more often.

Jisung was distracted with the direction of the car. "Hey, this is not your house." The car had stopped in front of a flower shop. Jisung was confused but Minho had already opened the passengers seat for Jisung to exit the car.

"It won't take long."

Entering the flower shop, the bell which was hanging near the door rang itself. Throughout his life, Jisung had never entered a flower shop until now. He must admit that the place looked rather pretty with different flowers arranged carefully based on colors, flowers decorating the plain wall—making it colorful, and the scent of flowers danced inside his nostrils. It was a mere small flower shop, but somehow the owner made it seem like a royal garden.

Everything about this place reminded him of Minho.

"Which one do you like the most?" Minho asked, fingers pointing at different flowers.

"M-me?" Jisung was startled, butterflies in his stomach. "You want me to choose my favorite flower?"

Minho nodded sheepishly. For a moment, Jisung almost passed out by the thoughts of Minho trying to be smooth with him by asking his choice of flowers and give it to him soon after.

Minho tilted his head in concern. "Sung-ie, are you okay? You seem a bit off today."

"No, I'm okay." Jisung mentally face-palmed himself for being dumb, hence his eyes wandered around the area, searching for the perfect flower. All the flowers were beautiful, yet his eyes only captured the bear bright yellow ones. He pointed at the flower. "I choose that one."

"That, my friend, is called Daffodil." A man who Jisung guessed was the owner of the last shop was now standing behind him. "Young man, you have good eyes. Daffodils are indeed very beautiful."

"I think I'll buy that one," Minho said to the owner, pulling out his wallet to find some money.

The flower shop owner rejected his money. "Oh, you don't need to pay for that."

"Why?"

The man explained with a peculiar accent, "I've seen you around many times. Take these flowers as my thank-you gift for being such a loyal customer."

Minho and Jisung bowed to the owner. "Thank you, Sir." Then left the shop to continue their journey.

The owner of the shop bid them his farewell. "Daffodil is a symbol of hope and new beginnings." He sprayed enough water to the flowers inside and continued his self talk. "I hope you'll find that hope soon and will begin your new beginning as a happy boy, Lee Minho."

┉┉


	26. 25

"Her name is Elizabeth the 3rd."

Jisung frowned in disappointment. "I don't like cats. Their fur is annoying and they poop everywhere."

"Right, and that's the reason I bought her." She cupped his side with her warmth. She whispered, "So she'll behave. In order to accomplish that, we have to teach her."

"Isn't Elizabeth just an animal? Teaching her not to poop everywhere is harder than it is to teach a baby."

She planted a soft kiss on Jisung's forehead. "Be it an animal or a human, everything's fixable. Elizabeth the 3rd isn't just a cat. One day, you'll realize what a good companion she is."

"But—"

"I know. Having a cat out of the blue is not a very convenient thing for someone like you. That's why you don't have to worry."

"Why?" he questioned.

"Your father will help you take care of Elizabeth the 3rd. Besides, he's a cat lover."

Will he? He doesn't even care about me, or so his head spoke to him.

"Sung-ie, we have arrived," Minho reported while turning off the engine.

Jisung flinched the moment he felt Minho's hand on his shoulder. He had been spacing out during the whole ride in Minho's car. His hands were still clutching tightly to the flower bouquet they had bought beforehand.

"Hyung, why do you love cats?" He asked when his hands were putting off the safety belt.

"What's with the absurd question..." He scratched his head, totally not immersed in the moment.

"Answer me!"

"Alright. Chill there, baby squirrel." Jisung shot him a glare upon the given nickname. It seemed for him that his boyfriend wasn't thriving with the nickname, though it sounded cute in his head.

"Cats are very cute, especially their meowing whenever they're asking for food. Plus, their fur is so fluffy, you just can't get enough of it," he explained with his heart. "I mean... I have three cats at the moment, but I often feel like I need more."

"Then why don't you buy more cats?"

Minho grinned in satisfaction. Pulling their body closer as he inched forward. His head leaned on Jisung's shoulder—whispering, "Because I've found myself another cat. The most beautiful one in this world." Jisung gulped his own saliva upon understanding the meaning behind his words. Jisung leaned back which resulted him with a headache.

Shit. I forgot that we're in a car. Ouchie, that fucking hurts.

Getting back to his senses, he hid his embarrassment for later and change the topic. "Ah, where are we? This isn't your house, is it?"

Minho scooted away. "It's a special place." Minho left the car and so did he.

"The Daffodils... they're gonna love it."

"Who?"

"My parents."

The atmosphere turned quiet within a mere sentence. Two words to be exact. The boys avoided eye-contact, although they could feel each other's presence by the sound of fallen leaf which got crushed as they walked in silence.

As soon as they arrived at the graveyard, Minho's heart clenched. Jisung could feel the same feeling he's going through. Seeing Minho searched for his parents' tombstone with a slight smile on his face made him realize how strong Minho was. If he was in Minho's position, he was certain that he couldn't hold his tears, furthermore putting on a smile. The loneliness must've felt crazy to be described in words.

But the smile perfectly described his true feelings.

"There you are, Mom and Dad." Jisung followed Minho to the cemetery. Today's weather was perfect for an ice-cream date, instead they went to visit history.

Jisung put the Daffodils on the grave, decorating it with his skill. The daffodils were arranged into a heart-shape decoration. The brightness of the Daffodils matched beautifully with the brown soil. Minho was proud of Jisung's inner artist skill, but Jisung was more proud of Minho for holding on.

"Mom, Dad. I want to introduce you to Jisung." Minho's voice sounded weak, his eyes was glimmering though he's smiling.

Minho held back his tears. "I'm sorry that I haven't told you guys that I'm dating him. I don't know how you guys would react if you found out my sexuality, but let me ensure you that Jisung is a nice guy."

Nice? Me? Jisung could already feel his head laughing to the statement in disbelief.

The boy continued, "Jisung is very caring, very kind, and very beautiful. He's been helping me thus far without even knowing that he did. He even choose the flowers himself and it looks beautiful, just like him."

"I guarantee that you guys will love him, just like how you guys love each other to death." Minho's smile was starting to drop. "You guys even planned on dying together. Isn't it the true meaning of unconditional love?"

"Hyung..."

"I hope you guys are having a good time wherever you are now. Don't worry about me. Auntie is taking good care of me, though she can't be here right now. She's currently spending her time with orphans. Such an angel." The tears that he'd been holding for a long time finally escaped his eyes to warm his cheeks. "Mom, Dad. I miss you so much. But above all, thank you."

Jisung embraced the boy so tightly, so he won't escape his touch. "You're strong. I may not have many informations regarding to your parents, but they must be proud to have you in this world. I love you."

His breath hitched upon hearing the last sentence. Kissing him, he said, "I love you too, Jisung."

"Now, shall we go home?"

"You're my home," Minho declared.

Jisung lightly chuckled. "You can still tease me even now. That's it, let's go home."

I'm not teasing you, Minho said in his head.

┉┉

"Your father has arrived and he's looking for you," Eunwoo announced while parking the car to the massive parking lot.

"That's bullshit." He excited the car the moment Eunwoo turned off the engine.

He ran to his mansion to find Elizabeth the 3rd. With Jumin Han on the mansion, the cat was most likely to be on his lap.

Jumin stared at Jisung. "Why does her fur looks messy? I believe Assistant Kang had given you Elizabeth the 3rd's Bible. The proper technique of combing her is written on chapter 19."

"I'm gay!" he admitted to his father.

Jumin raised one brow. "It's not polite to change the topic when I just told you about your misdoing. Manner is important, especially when you're dealing with clients."

However, Jisung was persistent. "I have a boyfriend and his name is Lee fucking Minho."

Jumin grabbed Elizabeth the 3rd's comb and performed what's exactly written on Elizabeth the 3rd's Bible chapter 19 about combing. "Lee fucking Minho? Such a quirky name."

Jisung slammed the table. "Aren't you pissed? Aren't you going to disown me for my sexual orientation?" Jumin wasn't even disappointed, he was just weirded out by his son's tantrum.

"Why should I? You love a boy, not stealing customer's money or destroying our company's reputation."

Without further thinking, Jisung hugged Jumin a little too tightly to the point Jumin couldn't breathe anymore. Being the royal bitch she was, Elizabeth the 3rd happily jumped out of Jumin's lap to witness the father and son scenery before her eyes. 

"What were you thinking? You could be arrested for choking your relatives." Jumin sipped a large amount of wine to calm him down.

"BE THANKFUL! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Jisung picked up Elizabeth the 3rd, then planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "I was thanking you for not being such a homophobic father. Finally you did something right in your life."

The door clicked open. Eunwoo and Jaehee Kang (Jumin's personal assistant) entered the room with a concerned look on their face.

"Excuse me for interrupting. I thought I heard loud noises, hence I come here with the thought that a war has been declared," Jaehee reported. Eunwoo nodded in agreement.

Laughing, Jisung snorted, "Don't worry. It's just family business."

The world family caught Jisung off guard. He immediately thought of Minho's parents and his own. The image of his mother smiling at him warmed his heart so much.

"You are strong."

He ate his own words. In order to coping with life is to move on. He's strong, so strong. Stronger than everyone in the mansion—at least that's what he thought was the truth. Just like Minho, he's strong. He must be.

┉┉


	27. 26

Day of the school's festival.

Every students gathered around their own group, preparing for the upcoming show they're presenting. Some students were busy building food stands, some other were trying out the stage by themselves. The teacher? Too busy to lend a hand since they have to update their Instagram story, though everyone's certain that no one's going to see it anyway.

Straight Kids were all cramped inside the small restroom with another 21 members of Nipple Coming Tonight (NCT). Whoever walked inside the restroom should be able to identify which member belongs to which group because of the contrast. NCT members wore the same black clothing but with different styles depending on each member. In contrary to NCT, Straight Kids' members wore vibrant clothing, matched with colorful wigs.

Chan wore a Kangaroo onesie, representing the character 'Kanga' from Winnie the Pooh. Woojin was dressing as Grizzly from We Bear Bears. Jeongin wore all pink clothing as he was roleplaying Princess Bubblegum. Minho wore a turquoise pigtails and intricate costume—being the Hatsune Miku he was, whereas Jisung was portraying Sandy Cheeks with his space suit and purple bikini inside. Seungmin dressed as Sailor Moon, whereas Hyunjin as Sailor Moon's love interest: Tuxedo Mask. Changbin became the infamous cartoon crush: Danny Phantom, although he was planning to be a Titan and unfortunately switched characters so it won't be too vulgar. Lastly, we have Felix Lee... dressing as Kanye West like he promised to do. 

"Are you going to took off your astronaut clothes and show off your bikini at the end of the performance?" Felix peeked through Jisung's helmet in the most platonic way as possible. "Believe me, the audience will go cray cray when your boyfie will be jell-o jelly."

"No fucking way, Kanye." Jisung covered Felix's eyes as he received multiple questioning glare from the thick thigh's Hatsune Miku.

"Listen up, Kardashians! Let's do our final practice on the stage," Chan ordered the boys to go up. NCT had just finished their stage try out, so now they could try out the stage too.

Each NCT and Straight Kids member high-fived each other's faces in enjoyment. Perhaps the two groups had formed some sort of tough love relationship. Despite all the spirit to slap all faces, NCT went all soft and motherly when they were met with Jeongin's pink hair. Life is not fair, it will never be. No matter how hard Jisung tried to be a nice person, his position would eventually got beaten out to the bottom by the actual God, Jeongin himself. Ariana Grande said that God is a woman, but in this Alternate Universe, God is Yang Jeongin.

When Jisung was climbing up the stairs to reach the stage, he accidentally bumped to one of NCT's member.

"Watch where you're going, Space Guy!" The guy who Jisung identified as Park Jisung winced in pain as he bumped Jisung's helmet.

Jisung didn't want to lose to another Jisung. "You! Watch your step, would you? I bet you don't receive vaccination when you were younger," He teased the younger with a smug adhered to his face.

"Uh, what?" Park Jisung was beyond confused.

"Yo, Kim Taeyong!" Han Jisung called, waving at NCT's leader with a fake smile on his face. Not understanding the situation he's in, Taeyong asked the typical "What" question to him.

"You better get your kids vaccinated so they don't catch these hands."

The younger shot him an intense glare and warned, "There can only be one Jisung and that's me."

"Don't be silly. I bet you forgot one of our school's alumnus name is Yoon Jisung. There are probably 1000 other Jisung in this world and we can't do anything about it because—let's face it, our parents are uncreative." He air-kissed the younger a goodbye then continued climbing up the stairs.

"What took you so long?" Chan didn't look pleased at all. Jisung bowed in response, still, it couldn't fix anything. Of course Jisung couldn't admit that he had an argument with another Jisung from another group. Henceforth, they're standing on the stage five feet apart because they're kinda gay.

Felix cued the music team. "Five! Four! Three, two, one, go!" Performing with Straight Kids tonight, the special music team called DaySex from the infamous Jay Why Pee University would keep them company along with the performance (Chan hired and paid them all).

One of DaySex member; Kim Wonpil was about to play his signature instrument: the lauchpad, until his movement was stopped by the principal's command.

The principal, also known as Mr. Jung grabbed the microphone to announce, "Okay, kids. Practice time's over. Please go backstage for the performing groups today. The others may go to your places as well. Many people have arrived already, so do your best." Damn, Straight Kids haven't even practiced.

Felix was counting on Jisung. Jisung was counting on Chan. Chan was counting on Woojin. Woojin was counting on Minho. Minho was counting on Hyunjin. Hyunjin was counting on Seungmin. Seungmin was counting on Jeongin. Jeongin was counting on Changbin. And Changbin was counting on Jisung. Meanwhile, nobody counted on Felix. Poor boy.

From the back of his head, Jisung could sense people's mouth murmuring different names. Howbeit, he was convinced that whoever those people were, they're talking about their parents' attendance on today's festival.

Tapping down Jumin's number faster than Quicksilver since he was too lazy to search his contact on the contact list, his mind was preparing the most polite way to persuade him over. As soon as the call was picked up, he began speaking, "Good afternoon, Jumin Han. Judging from the excellent weather today, I suddenly think about you. I mean... wouldn't it be perfect to watch the school's festival with a glass of red wine and Elizabeth the 3rd on your lap?"

The voice from the other line responded, "I have my own principles and I am not easily persuaded. Besides, festivals are very noisy. The noise is never ending. I must reinstall the sound insulation." Jumin's voice was getting more and more distant as if he was being serious about the sound insulation problem.

"Chan's father is here, you two can make business plan together." Jisung just wouldn't give up.

"I like my meetings organized and in moderate place. Just how I like ruled notebooks. Disorder only leads to chaos." Jisung wanted to intrude once more, but he was too late. "As said, I am not easily persuaded. Good afternoon, Jisung." And then the call ended.

He exhaled a lot of bullshit in effort to not lose his sanity. After he redone the process 300 times 3000, the boy was cocksure that he's now calm and fine. That level of confidence didn't last long. Moreover, it vanished away the moment he heard their group name being announced by the MC. Luck wasn't on Straight Kids side, but there's nothing that can be done.

Minho seemed to notice the oddness in Jisung's energy. His bright, savage, and wild energy were covered with stage fright and disappointment. Jisung had always wanted to introduce Minho to Jisung and show off his skill. However, the reality is far from what is expected.

To be quite honest, Minho wasn't at his best stage at the moment. His body had been freezing cold due to the change of season. Summer was fading away and so were his warmth. He wasn't good with finding solutions, thus he could only provide Jisung with a cold hug. His mouth was hungry for one of Jisung's kisses, yet he wore a shit ton of make up that shouldn't be ruined.

The turquoise haired Hatsune Miku comfortably laid his pigtails on Jisung's chest. "There's nothing that can be done."

"There is! If I can rearrange my sentence so it would've sounded more convincing." Jisung was being sulky. Minho was feeling cold, yet they still walked on stage together hand in hand.

"There's nothing that can be done. Just like my hands will never be as warm as yours." Yes, Minho's hands were cold. However, he was referring to his loneliness. Jisung was sad because his father refused to come to the festival, whereas Minho couldn't even invite his parents anymore.

With the spotlight being directed to his body, it's now the time to perform. Felix cued them all. "Five! Four! Three two, one!" DaySex began to play their instrument. The ocean of crowd cheered like crazy. DaySex played their instrument for a good 30 seconds while Straight Kids were dancing in sync.

Then DaySex suddenly stopped playing the instruments as they have finished the introduction. Now's the killing part, Jisung's part.

Stepping his foot on the speaker underneath, he took the center of the stage. The spotlight focused on him like everyone else. Chan couldn't remember how much he had prayed for Jisung to not mess up.

Using his rarely used low voice, his lips inched closer to the microphone.

"Kneel down, you pigs!"

Then the crowd cheered on Mariah Carey's whistle note. Jisung was so sexy; the girls got nosebleed, the boys turned gay, the teacher peed on their pants, and Minho was having a cardiac arrest.

Chan shouted to the crowd, "STRAIGHT KIDS!"

"Buying shit like a lemonade, 'til your ass got squeezed like a lemonade~" Chan sang the first verse perfectly.

Seungmin continued the song, "Holy shit, fucking lemonade. Bitches showering fucking lemonade.."

"Lemon bitch, watch your nasty hand. Why you littering on the lovely land~"

"Get your plastic bag outta the damn way, we got shopping bag running through the way!"

Changbin began rapping. "Ladies and Gentlegay, welcome to the milky way. Plastic who? Don't know her, I only hear fucking Straight Kids song. Say this flop, fucking thot. Seungmin may choke you a lot. Say what, bitch? Save the earth, but first Straight Kids fuck you down to earth."

Hearing his friends trying their ass off, Jisung was no longer nervous. In fact, he was so eager to rap his part.

After performing a back flip with his Sandy Cheek's costume, he stole the microphone to rap the next verse. He gotta admit that it was fun. Better than he was expecting. Although his father wasn't here, he still performed with no regrets.

┉┉

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS I THINKING WHEN I MADE UP THOSE LYRICS LMAO :") y'all probably think I'm drunk when I was typing those. But remember, I'm always drunk ;)


	28. 27

For Straight Kids, the performance went on in a flash. Well, it's indeed a mere three minutes performance. Even so, the three minutes long performance had left a big impact on everybody. Ever since the festival thingy had come to an end, the principal could confirm that many outsiders were interested upon joining the school, especially when they were told that there's an elite organization which included and glorified Yang Jeongin. Fox Army registration had never been so overfilled before.

Chan was beyond proud with his members. Despite all the conflicts they had gone through, the group somehow managed to overcome any sort of complications coming towards them. They're superior.

It was Sunday and the weather was exactly like the day: sun day which was perfect for a weekend date. Summer had almost come to an end, thus today was probably to be the last sunny hot Sunday before autumn strikes in. Everyone was aware with the seasonal change including Chan, therefore he wanted to make this moment precious by taking Straight Kids gang to an amusement park. He paid all nine tickets for the sake of gratitude.

Jisung and Chan wore the same pair of Louis Vuitton Black Monogram Velour Jacket and Roberto Cavalli Green Gold trousers to Minho's dissatisfaction. Even Jisung and Chan were surprised with their matching outfit. The others wore less expensive clothing but with more patterns. Together, they resembled an over-decorated birthday cake with their embroidered trousers. All except for Changbin and his all dark vibes from within and without.

"Here's your ticket," said the cashier girl. She handed Chan nine tickets for all the rides.

"Alright, let's hop on the roller-coaster straight away!" Felix grabbed the tickets then yeet his way to the roller-coaster section. He could hear his friends' annoyed tone, yet he pretended to hear the sound of children's choir as he baptists in dominance.

None of them wanted to start their day with a roller-coaster ride, especially Minho who was utterly petrified with the thought of riding so high up with a limited safety equipment. His boyfriend, Jisung noticed Minho's fidgeting fingers and caressed both with his touch.

Jisung stepped forward. "Felix, I love you Bro, but Mr. Thicc Thighs has crippling acrophobia. As much as I like to ride on that shit with my man, I won't be happy to see him throwing up on my face." People said it's bros before hoes. However, Jisung much rather to have both bros and hoes altogether with him on the middle.

Minho almost cried the moment he saw Jisung acknowledged his fear. "It's okay, Sung-ie. My cats told me to face my fears, so I must endure the pain," he defended. Jisung was worried for him whether he forced himself too much, whereas Seungmin was worried about his cats. Either way, Minho convinced them all and followed Felix's footstep.

Felix sighed. "Finally bitches be stopping the drama." The nine of them walked themselves to the roller-coaster hand in hand. All the couples were holding each other's hand, whilst Chan could only stare in jealousy. That's why Jeongin and Woojin were there to cheer him up.

During the whole ride, Minho was too busy crying, although nobody noticed the tears except for Jisung because gravitation pulled away Minho's tears to the blue sky. On the other side, Felix was too hyped, he forced everyone to ride every single thing he encountered, resulting several throw ups in the aftermath for the poor boy Minho.

After the tenth ride, Jisung and Minho decided to stop. The others still followed Felix's order who's literally on drugs. The couple sit on the side with a bottle of water and an Bomb Alaska. Minho had previously brushed his teeth with a new toothbrush that Jisung had given him. Now Jisung didn't have to worry about Minho's disturbing breath anymore.

The amusement park was crowded, yet it felt like there were nobody else there, that they're the only ones remain. Jisung was still trying to calm Minho down. Minho? He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to the stage where he seemed like he's either high on drugs or just drunk.

Minho took a sip of H₂O as if he's drinking Starbucks. "Sung-ie! I heard your father is back." His voice sounded like muffled, nevertheless Jisung still manage to captured the sound so easily.

"H-how do you know?" He was suddenly reminded of Seungmin's casual stalker stories.

"Dude, you've said it to everyone back then," he stated—then started having hiccups for absolutely no reason. "And it's on the news."

"THE NE—WHAT THE HELL!" Jisung chocked on crème anglaise.

Minho pulled out his phone. "The heir of C&R International company: Jumin Han will be featured on Forbes Magazine as for South Korea's 50 Richest. Han also planned to have his cat undergo photoshoot for Fancy Cat Magazine's cover after returning to his mansion," he read the passage carefully, trying not to mispronounced a single word. Jisung could only stare in awe. His body stiffen, couldn't believe what his own father did.

Elizabeth the 3rd seemed to have brighter career than Jisung.

"I didn't notice that he's that famous already." Jisung felt his head spinning to heaven. "How am I going to introduce you to him now? The media would caught us in no time and spread the news everywhere."

"Is that so?"

Jisung continued, "If so then the company's reputation will be at risk because his son turned out to be gay."

"So it looks like I can't crash at your place anymore," he whispered to Jisung's ear which followed by hiccups. "Though, you still can crash at my place. Then we don't have to worry about the media."

A big gummy smile started to form on Jisung's face. "Thanks. Right now I'm feeling so overwhelmed with happiness, I could kiss you."

"Do it." Minho's words made Jisung snorted in surprise.

"In front of strangers? Hell no. They might be the medias."

Minho rolled his eyes. "Are all the medias dressed like that?" He pointed on two girls who were busy flirting on guys. The guys looked like they're uncomfortable and tried several times to escape the situation, but to no avail.

Jisung was about to make a statement until he felt Minho's lips crashed on his. Minho could taste the leftover crème anglaise on Jisung's lips to his enjoyment. Jisung didn't know what kind of devil had spoken to him but a second later, he was already climbing up to Minho's thick thighs, landed his pricey butt on the cushion. It was more of a make out session rather than a kiss.

"Hyung—" Minho kept cutting Jisung's words with never-ending kisses. Their tongue was fighting for dominance, thus they decided to switch roles every three seconds to explore every side of each mouth. However, their romantic moment had come to a stop because of the flirtatious teenagers that Minho had mentioned before.

"Ew you guys are gross," said the girl with asymmetrical pigtails. It looked like the guys who they were hitting on managed to escape the sticky situation, therefore they decided to interrupt the beautiful MinSung moment.

Jisung crossed his arms, still sitting on Minho's lap. "Nobody asked for your opinion, bitch." Inside, Jisung's heart wouldn't stop pondering, hoping that they're not familiar with him or his father.

The girls didn't care. "All the guys are gay these days. What a fucker." The other girl joined the conversation. "What's the point of being a disgusting gay whore? Gay couples can't have kids. They're making a family of nobody but their own stupidity."

Jisung felt his temper rose, Minho calmed him down this time with his touch. Jisung wasn't good with controlling his emotions, thus he was feeling irritated by the girls' provocative actions.

Standing up, he barked loudly, "Say what bitch? There's a thing called adoption. In the future, we're gonna adopt kids that you dumped for your own stupidity called free sex."

Minho also stood up to defend his man. "Bitch, we're saving humanity."

"Save humanity my ass. You guys are weird."

"I'm sorry, your argument is invalid. You look like one of those bitch who fucks random people for pleasure, ew! When we lived in a world where many women are raped by those nasty inhumane people, you act like a slut waiting get shoved in the pussy. Bitch, no one's gonna fuck you anyway. You're lucky to be ugly as fuck." Jisung smirked in victory upon hearing his own statement. He burned them well.

The asymmetrical pigtails hissed, "What the fuck?! You disrespected me! Get away from me, fags! You nasty ass fuckers... bye whores!" They ran away from them with a defeated look on their face.

Jisung shouted for the last time, "Guess what? I'm still a virgin."

"Good job. Now let's continue our unfinished business." Minho patted Jisung's shoulder.

Two minutes later, all Straight Kids' members came to their location with a tired look due to the scary rides.

Hyunjin yelled at them while running, "Guys! We heard loud voices coming from here. Are you—what the actual fuck?!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Seungmin joined him cursing.

There they were, making out on public. Only MinSung had the guts to do that. Funny thing is that they seemed to be unbothered by Hyunjin and Seungmin yelling. What an amusing sight.

Chan seperated those two by pulling their ears. "Time to go home, lovebirds."

┉┉


	29. 28

Ever since Jisung and Minho's relationship went public (only in school), other students seemed to like them more for being honest. The students were surprisingly very accepting, because if they don't, Woojin and Felix would perform their epic kick-combination.

Also Straight Kids gang had never been closer. Since the festival thingy seemed to brought them closer as they knew each other better. In fact, they're not really straight like their group name. Ironically, straight kids' members were all whipped for one another. The only one's different was Woojin who's straight and not whipped for one another. Passerby would think he's not part of the group anymore. But what can he say? It's nine or none, because when they were together; it's cloud nine.

Spending a lot of time with Minho somewhat changed Jisung in a good way. Everyone could see Minho's influence within him. Firstly, Jisung was persistent just like his hard-headed father. Yet, Minho managed to soften the tofu inside his heart. Therefore he started to copy Minho's lifestyle, for example: arrive at school an hour before it starts. Crazy? That's their middle name.

Jisung himself knew what would likely to happen if he arrived before his friends. Of course, he has to deal with the early morning bitches who would do anything to crawl their way to Jisung's pants. Thankfully, his pants were hidden and securely sealed inside his ninja turtle bodysuit.

"Who do you love? Is it him or me... cause I can't take the pressure anymore~" Jisung hummed, now wearing an unplugged gaming headset.

Not even a minute later, the crazy bitch squad had already arrived. Judging from the sound of stilettos knocking on the floor with a satisfying sound, though Jisung much prefer the combination of boots and wooden floor's sound.

The basic bitch squad walked inside the quiet classroom, making it noisy with their breathing. The members scattered around the classroom on separate ways. Their leader: Britney decided to approach the singing boy with her head hung high.

She put her hand around Jisung's shoulder, massaging his left side when she's on the right. "Good morning, pretty boy." She took off Jisung's headset so that Jisung wouldn't have any excuse regarding to his hearing. "You're to early today. Are you waiting for me?"

Bitch, no one in the world wants you anyway, He screamed inside his head. On the night before, Jisung had practiced his lines in case he had to encounter this real-life problem, also known as Britney and the gang. Actually, the gang was alright. Britney wasn't, though. She's the only problem. You can tell that yourself just by knowing her name.

Jisung sighed deeply, he could smell the scent of Britney's hair: quite bitchy, he would say. "You do know I have a boyfriend right?"

"Boyfriend?" Britney squinted her eyes, travelling back and forth. "I can't spot your boyfriend anywhere, so how about being realistic and date a girl like me instead?" Britney tried her best to sound flirty. From the other side, Walmart was trying so hard to hold her laughter. Jisung cringed in homosexual.

"Britney bitch... I thought I've rejected you over time. You should just give up. Flirting a gay guy is impossible if you're not a guy."

"At least be bisexual like that senior: Bang Chan."

"RECIPRO BURST!" All of the sudden, Britney's body was flying away from Jisung and headed towards the exit as she had just received one of Felix's most powerful kicks.

Jisung was not disappointed and surprised at the same time. "Bro, you can't just recipro burst kick a girl without consent. This ain't your typical life-action anime show."

Felix rolled his eyes. "She lost my pen."

"I take my words back. She's an evil bitch who deserves to be snapped away from existence." Walmart only laughed happily. No one has ever witnessed Walmart laughing her ass off. She's always been the chill girl who befriended everyone and has the power of making girls fall in love with her. They all laughed happily, thinking that Britney is dead.

Britney was alive after all. Felix's kick may have damaged her organs, but it drove her insane. Britney have the ability to survive the most powerful kicks and with her ambition, she's now more determined to catch Jisung's heart. Rejection made her feel strong.

Since that, Jisung's life had never been the same. He constantly felt insecure like he's being watched. The problem was that he's being watched and chased by a stupid girl. Every time he took a step forward, the sound of the same stilettos continued to follow him from behind like a shadow.

School hours have ended, students walking everywhere, filling the hallway. He was thankful for everyone in the hallway. Couldn't spot Britney, Jisung quickly pulled out his phone to text Minho. But before that, he changed the contact name first.

Jisung  
let's go somewhere

Minho<3  
5W+1H? Didn't you say that you're having Fox Army weekly prayer?

Jisung  
can't do it now. i'll see you @ starbucks

Minho<3  
LMAO you sure don't take no as an answer.

Jisung  
be quick! ur formal way of typing is killing me

Minho<3  
Sure, kittie 🥰🖖. Wait for me.

Jisung rushed to Starbucks after saying his apology to all the Fox Army club members. As soon as he arrived at Starbucks, he was already panting like crazy. Minho still wasn't at sight.

But Britney was.

Fuck.

He wanted to hide, yet a hand stopped him midway. His wrist was aching but no one cared. "Bitch, stop following me!"

"PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME! I'M SINGLE AS PRINGLE AND YOU JINGLE MY SHINGLE, SO LET'S MINGLE!" Britney yelled a little too loudly. Seconds later, all eyes landed on Britney and Jisung. The new barista in schedule was stunned, he decided to watch because they're scared and curious at the same time.

Jisung calmed himself down. "Who do you think you are? Who do you think I am? You only love to see me breaking. You only want me 'cause I'm taken!" The said boy approached Britney with a dark expression, as if he was saying 'Go away bitch' which was probably what his head is saying.

"Yo, I gave you a good persuasive sentence that rhymes and you're quoting One Direction's song? My heart is shattered into pieces y'know?"

"Shut up! One Direction is legend." He slapped her 4 centimeters nails with much sass. "You don't really want my heart. No, you just like to know you can. Still be the one who gets it breaking. You only want me when I'm taken." Britney actually had been crushing on Jisung for a long time, but she liked him even more when he's taken. Bitches like Britney loves the feeling of snatching people away from their lover. It feels like victory.

Britney couldn't accept rejection, though she's constantly being rejected. Thus she forcibly hugged Jisung. He yelped to the touch, feeling very uncomfortable—especially when there were eyes staring from every corner. Turns out that Britney's extremely strong. It's impossible to escape her touch, it's hellish. At this moment, he only wished for everyone to not recognize him as Jumin Han's son. Magically, no one noticed. Who would've taught that a kid from the Han's family wore such eccentric clothing? Nobody, not a single soul.

"Sungiieee—what the fuck is this fuckery?!" The two looked in the same direction. There stood a confused-looking Minho with a bag full of cat foods, squinting his eyes as if he was make sure he wasn't seeing things. Britney gulped, evidently scared of the older. Without further ado, she ran her foot outside the building. Leaving her stilettos on the floor.

Jisung immediately ran to Minho. He clung to Minho's arm like a pet, feeding grateful for his late presence. Waiting, the boy was expecting the older to ruffle his hair. He expected Minho to pet him. Instead, he received a cold shoulder from him.

Don't tell me he misunderstood the situation...

"Hyung, I have a logical explanation for that."

Sweats started dripping from Jisung's forehead, down to his cheeks and nose, until they reached his chin. The sweats began to drop every five seconds to his shirt and vanished.

Minho whispered to Jisung's ear, "Cash me outside, how 'bout that?"

Not having the chance to protest, Jisung's body was already dragged by the furious Minho. Jealousy isn't a cute thing after all, unlike what most people had in mind.

"I consider myself quite skilful in taekwondo since I used to be a football player in my past life." Minho pulled on his sleeves, showing his pretty upper arms. "Bring it on, yellowhead!"

"What's with the commotion?" A familiar couple interrupted their boiling scene. The couple consisted of Chunhua and a Starbucks guy.

"Nam Jiwoo." The guy introduced himself. "You must be Minho and..."

"Jisung."

"Oh, yeah. The yellowhead. I remember now."

Minho somehow felt like he knew that Jiwoo guy...

"Two exact venti salted caramel Mocha Frappucino with five pumps of frap roast, four pumps of caramel sauce, four pumps of caramel syrup, three pumps of mocha, three pumps of toffee nut syrup, double blended with extra whipped cream, please. Don't rush it, make it so scrumptious and mouthwatering." Minho cringed hearing the order but stayed silent nevertheless.

The barista was about to past out. This is his first day, but why must he suffer. "I'm screwed," he muttered which Chunhua immediately caught. Meanwhile, Minho has stopped responding as the person who doesn't speak Starbucks he is.

"Can I have a name for that order?" he questioned.

Chunhua leaned her body forward to read his nametag: Nam Jiwoo. "Can I give you my number instead? Been thinking about you a latte."

"Oh, I know you." Minho offered his hand to Jiwoo, which he gladly accepted.

Chunhua took a sip of her drink. "Jiwoo said to me that he heard you guys and a girl doing a staring contest or somewhat."

"His fault," they both spoke in unison.

Chunhua almost choked on her drink. "Well well... Minho, you must be going through the fanfiction-syndrome, where you act like a total bastard who misunderstood everything. Can't blame you, though. Not being in a relationship for a while must've been excruciating."

To be honest, all of them had their own not-dating period time. But being in a relationship with Minho before, Chunhua knew so well about Minho's feelings, and the way he gets lonely a lot of time for not having his parents on his side. She knew that he had a hard time moving on. However, it was now Jisung's job to fill the gap in his shattered heart.

Chunhua scooted closer to Jisung's side. "I have to tell you something. It's about him," she whispered in a very distinctive tone. "Right now, just calm him." Chunhua then signaled Jiwoo to go with her. The couple disappeared soon after.

Minho looked embarrassed. Smiling, Jisung kissed the older gently. In his mind, he's still afraid of making Minho mad. To his surprise, the older kissed him back with the same amount of energy. The kiss was soft, yet skilful for amateurs like them. Before the kiss heated, the younger broke the kiss to speak. Usually, Minho wouldn't let Jisung disturb the kiss, but the sound of Jisung's purring like a cute kitten melted his heart. Sure, the boy has a soft spot for kitten and Jisung managed to explore that side of him.

"Now hear me out, please."

Minho nodded in response, eyes filled with regret because realization hit him with a truck. He accidentally bought dog food instead of cat food. Way to go, smarty pants.

┉┉


	30. 29

Jisung had been missing school for the past few days due to his crippling disease. He was diagnosed with chickenpox and continuously blamed his father for not making sure he had been vaccinated against it beforehand. Howbeit, his health wouldn't guarantee his presence at school because the thought of meeting Britney and the gang irritated him.

He was locked inside his room. Sometimes Eunwoo would pay him a visit to deliver food, give medications, or just simply distract him from scratching his rashes. With Eunwoo help, Jisung felt like he would heal anytime soon.

On the other side, little Elizabeth the 3rd was busy doing photoshoots for the upcoming cat magazine this fall. He was getting more attention from everyone and Jisung was jealous for her.

Lying on his mattress, he opened Straight Kids group chat, since his phone had been buzzing under his butt cheeks for over 3 minutes.

⚤ Straight Kids ⚤

Felix  
M115IN6 J15UN6 H0U125 😓😓

Minho<3  
Uhm, what?

Seungmin  
"missing Jisung hours" sheesh,, are you dumb?

Jisung  
don't call him dumb

Seungmin  
ahhhh,, it's the "boyfriend"

Felix  
Y0U'123 4L1V3!!!! 😱

Woojin  
Get well soon, Jisung 💜.

Minho<3  
Sung-ie, that girl you hate...

Jisung  
britney bitch?

Minho<3  
Yeah. She's been bothering Felix for a while. What's her business?

Changbin  
SHE WHAT?! I'LL KILL HER AND HER FAKE TITTIES!!!!

BangChan  
WE DON'T KILL PEOPLE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD

Hyunjin  
how do you italicized words in chat?

Minho<3  
You showed up just to ask that?

Jisung  
OKAY I'LL MAKE SURE TO STOP BRITTNEY

Woojin  
Thank you, only you can stop her.

HyunJeans  
italic.... :(

With that, he closed the group chat and sighed heavily. At this moment, all he wanted was a warm hug from Minho. He was lacking vitamin Minho due to his sickness. Minho wanted to visit him, but Jisung didn't allow him for his own good.

Sighing, he typed down Jeongin's number and call him. He needed spiritual advice and Jeongin's the only one capable on doing so. That's mainly the reason he rarely showed up on group chats due to the piling requests.

"Jisung-hyung? How are you?" Jeongin's calming voice soothed his ear, much different than his other friends who repeatedly gave him ear-rape.

"God Jeongin, I'm sorry if I tend to forget your blessings in my happiest moments in life." Jisung kneeled on his bed then continued, "Please shower me with your blessings once again! God Jeongin, give me strength and grant my wishes!"

Jeongin only frowned. "Hyung, we've talked about this many times already. I am no God, nor have the ability to grant your wishes." Jisung stayed silent. Thinking hard, he broke the silence, "I'll pray for you." With that being spoken, he closed the call. The blonde stared the ceiling in awe, feeling less purposeful.

But Jeongin's prayer ended up helping him. After three minutes of contemplating, Minho was already knocking on his bedroom door, judging from the breathing pattern. "How the fuck?" was the only question flying inside his head.

He didn't get the chance to respond because the door had already swung open in the most dramatic way as he could imagine. There stood Lee Minho, wearing Jisung's costume for the previous school festival. Yes, he's wearing Sandy Cheeks' space suit with the purple bikini within, looking serious.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" asked Jisung as he spontaneously scratched his skin.

Minho closed the door and headed to Jisung's bed. "I skipped the dance club and would you please stop scratching your skin? Your skin is already full of rashes." He scooted closer in attempt to kiss his boyfriend but ended up smashing their lips to the space helmet. No regrets whatsoever.

"Who let you in?"

Minho was enjoying himself in petting Jisung's head, down to his neck. Jisung felt ticklish under his touch but low-key ecstatic. "I begged Eunwoo for his permission, but he's being stoic. Then I planned to barge into your room from the back door, but I accidentally bumped onto your father."

"Oh, shit. Tell me the whole conversation!"

Minho was so eager to visit his boyfriend, thus he's not afraid to cross the boundaries. Running as fast as he could (to avoid himself from getting caught by the CCTV), finally the black haired boy found the secret passage to Jisung's mansion. The moment he climbed his way to the opened window, the sound of Jumin's coughing caught him off guard, leading to his downfall. Jumin was shocked too, thus he didn't move aside—causing Minho's body to fell on Jumin's body. "Ouch!"

Jisung interrupted, "So you didn't actually bumped onto him, you literally fell on top of him?" Minho didn't budge, then proceeded to continue the story.

"OMG, I'm sorry Mr. Han! I was being careless." Minho stood up just to kneeled down afterwards.

"Perhaps you are Jisung's boyfriend? Jisung told me that he's dating a guy named Lee fucking Minho or some kind..." Jumin trailed off.

Minho gagged in surprise. "Lee Minho. Uhm... I'll get going now." Minho bit his inner cheeks and left Jumin alone. However, Jumin's hand was faster.

"If you don't mind, I'm asking you to not leave. Go inside, you have my permission." He patted Minho's small back and headed outside. "I know it's disturbingly bizarre, but I'm not good with expressing my feelings to him after all the things we've been through. Therefore, I would be glad if you could provide Jisung with the attention he needs." Wiping the dirt on Minho's legs with his handkerchief, he continued speaking, "You have my consent. However, use the front door. I believe you know the function of doors."

Then he left.

"Bullshit!" The blonde spit out the word faster than a light switch.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Chickenpox." He caressed Jisung's oily hair, feeling glad inside for wearing the space suit because Jisung hadn't took a shower for 3 days in a row. Jisung spontaneously let out a soft whimper due to the sudden familiar touch, but adjusted himself and savor it for eternity. His head moved itself, begging for more touch. "Look at you... acting like a kitten whenever my hand reaches your head," he said, smiling.

"I miss playing with your cats." He nuzzled to Minho's lap. He was exceptionally needy today.

"I miss playing with little Ellie too." He glanced the boy. "At least petting you feels as good as petting my cats. No, actually it's better."

"Sheesh, you're way more cheesy than my father's cheese cake," Jisung said, chuckling in embarrassment. "I always try to imagine something that's fully out of this world, but at the end it's you."

He ruffled Jisung's blonde hair in excitement. "Really? Then you and me, let's marry in the space station!" Minho pointed at himself since he's wearing a space suit, Jisung's space suit to be exact.

A blush slowly appeared on the younger's cheeks. Hearing Minho's words always flattered him, made him less bored in this world of agony. They were having their intense moment when suddenly both of their phone started buzzing as if they've received a spam message. Hence, their hands opened the notifications on reflect.

"What the..." Jisung couldn't finish his sentence upon realizing the shocking news about him spreading everywhere like the coronavirus.

Headline News: The Director's son of C&R Company, Han Jisung, is reported to be gay. The medias are still trying to prove whether this statement is true or not. However, a girl who admitted herself as one of his acquaintances claimed to have witness Han Jisung and his boyfriend together. The company's demands have decreased up to 30% due to this news. The director himself, Jumin Han, hasn't done anything regarding to this matter.

Jisung couldn't help himself but cry as he scrolled the news from his phone. He was feeling insecure for having his name on the news, especially when his father's company and reputation had been noticed by people for a long time.

Minho felt bad inside, though he wasn't the one spreading the news. The thought that many people would read the news and share them to their friends and relatives scared him to death. Jisung wasn't the only one feeling insecure, yet he managed to act tough somehow. Swiftly, he took Jisung's phone from his hand and switched it off.

"What am I gonna do? I'm gonna be the one to blame if this company went bankrupt. Hyung, I don't like this kind of attention," he cried to his pillow. Minho just let him be.

"I'm sorry, Sung-ie. I'm sure we'll find a way somehow." He was trying his best to encourage Jisung, but his mind was clouded with one name: Britney. It wasn't very delightful to assume the culprit, but it's not wrong to guess at this stage.

"What should we do?"

"We need a plan to undo Britney's stupid plan. However, we can't do that alone." His mind was flying to one name: Straight Kids. "Straight Kids must unite."

┉┉


	31. 30

"Where the fuck are we going?" Minho ignored the curious cat. "And why the fuck am I wearing Sandy Cheeks' costume?"

"Cause you got some nice cheeks," Minho blurted out without thinking about the consequences.

"What?"

"What?"

The boys turned quiet again. Jisung was sitting not so comfortably in Minho's car, while the older was busy taking U-turns ever so often. Minho has a weird habit of using unfamiliar routes in order to arrive to the desired destination. However, Jisung could already tell that they're not going to Minho's house; which he found odd, since the car almost always travel around Minho's neighborhood.

"The costume is uncomfortable, moreover because it's better for you to wear it since you're the one who's sick and whose fame is endanger due to those spreading rumors regarding to your sexuality that may somewhat damage your brain if you're too exposed to the media."

Jisung was too puzzled to react properly. "Damn, I wasn't expecting such details." He let out several pterodactyl voices, wheezing. "For the hundredth time, where are we going?"

"To someplace dear to us." His voice quavered very scarily, eyes still focused on the road. "Sorry, I'll try to be more poetic next time," the boy murmured nonchalantly.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Tony Stark died, so what now? It's not like this shady road will take us to Hyunjin's house or something." Jisung shook his head then turned his attention back to the road and surprisingly they're in front of Hyunjin's house. "Oh, fuck yes! I'm a fucking psychic. My future is fucking decided. Fuck life."

Minho parked the car professionally then helped Jisung getting out of the car. He opened the passengers door. "Come out, princess."

Clutching tightly to the older's shirt, he used Minho's body as a support, then kicked his body away from the seat. Getting the whole costume out without damaging it was more difficult than what he had imagined. Apparently, the kick was too harsh, resulting Jisung to fall with Minho on his grip—basically carrying him. His hands accidentally ripped his boyfriend's shirt, exposing his bare torso to the sunlight. Their legs were too wobbly, hence the couple ended up lying on the concrete, with Jisung on top of Minho; whose clothes were torn. It's easy to misjudge the situation since nobody can even differentiate whether it's a mere accident or they're filming porn.

"Welcome to our establishment—woah, at least get a room! Young men these days are so thirsty for concrete sex." A voice greeted them. Jisung and Minho quickly stood up. Both gave awkward gesture towards one another. Jisung inhaled deeply, embracing the gay thought.

He looked up to see Minhyun waving at them in excitement. "I remember. You're Hyunjin's brother." He bowed to hide his flushed cheeks.

"And you two must be Minho and Jisung: the kinky cat roleplay couple." Minhyun winked playfully, sending embarrassment to the couple every time his wink's getting wilder. He added, "I'm just kidding. I don't know what kind of relationship you guys are having, but I enjoy spouting random suggestions. However, your shirt is torn in a very rough way as if you guys have a good sexual intercourse." He directed his gaze on Minho's exposed torso, examining the sight before him in a very heterosexual way.

Shaking his head continuously, Minho lied, "No, you misunderstood the situation. I ripped my own shirt because..." His leftover brain cells were busy rummaging for a reasonable excuse. "... because I need vitamin D." A laugh almost escape from Jisung's mouth.

Minhyun sneered, "Does dick counts?"

"What the—Hyung, are you dumb or are you a perv?" Of course didn't forget to use the hyung card as a form of seniority to reduce the chance of getting smacked in the pancreas.

"I'm an introvert."

"LIES!"

They were about to fight when a girl stepped in the middle of the fiasco and stopped them with her almighty girl power. Meanwhile Jisung just watched the scene before him in amusement with a bag of chips clutched tightly between his two hands, continuously exhaled excessive air as he was unable to eat the chips with his space helmet. It was his most life-changing moment in life.

"What's with the commotion?! Seriously, stop it!" Chunhua separated the heated Tom and Jerry with much force. Jisung gasped upon seeing a girl after a long time.

"Why's there a straight girl coming from Hyunjin's house? This was supposed to be Straight Kids meeting." Jisung hugged Chunhua which surprised everyone else. "Long time no see, my homie." Chunhua hugged the blonde too in confusion, which caused her to witness the horrific facial expression Lee Minho could ever pulled off.

"Let's go inside." Jisung quickly dragged a shadowy Minho to Hyunjin's room.

The moment Jisung stepped his foot inside Hyunjin's room, he could feel Straight Kids glaring at him. As if the atmosphere couldn't be more intense, Felix was already stretching his legs.

"Sit down," Woojin ordered with his hair had been coaxed into ringlets. Seungmin showed him the spreading news regarding to Jisung's sexuality. He frowned in response, his heart shrunk upon seeing his face everywhere. His friends thought that a non celebrity like Jisung wouldn't have the media roaming for his existence, especially when it comes to personal life. Hence Jumin Han was already too famous himself as one of the richest, hottest, and most successful businessman in the country. Jumin himself had to deal with women who's rooting over him and his wealth every single day, so whenever there's a chance for people to intervene with the Han's family, they'll do it in order to capture Jumin's heart.

(You know when people are so desperate to be in a relationship with someone who constantly refuse their feelings, those people are not afraid to threatened their love interest in the dirtiest way as possible so they can force that person to accept their feelings).

Jisung first thought that receiving attention was the most beautiful thing in the world. Of course he got a lot of attention at school for being Jumin Han's kid despite Jumin's effort to hide Jisung from the public eyes for his own safety. He understood very well after witnessing his father got chased down by numerous fangirls on the street with a huge poster above their head, saying "Devour me, Jumin Ham!" in Comic Sans. However, that little boy inside of him always craved attention. Perhaps this incident can prevail upon him to change his mind about fame.

Nine boys and two outsiders were sitting on Hyunjin's carpet. Awkward silence filled upon the air as they all look down to their feet, staring at their toenail which hadn't grow much in length since the Korean War.

"We're gonna solve this together," Woojin opened the open-group discussion with a reassuring statement.

Felix and Changbin slammed the carpet. "KILL HER!"

"Don't fucking kill her!" Chan protested. "We don't wanna end up in jail."

Woojin shook his head. "Compelling arguments." He put on a glasses from nowhere, eyes gawking at his surroundings. A pair of eyes scanned the room from every corner, then it stopped on Seungmin's direction. "Does anyone else have something to say?"

Seungmin yelped upon feeling Woojin eyes piercing to his body. Taking a deep breath, he initiated, "Hyung, remember when I say that I have four phones?"

"Remember, I have four phones, one for business purposes, one for family and friends, one for blackmailing activity, and one for you."

They nodded in silence, knowing exactly where this is going to end. Smirking, Seungmin showed them his third phone on purpose.

"We can't just blackmail her." Chan crossed his hand, mouth pouting like a little boy.

Seungmin grinned happily. "Of course we can. That bitch stole Jisung's information without his consent, therefore we should treat her the way she treated Jisung."

"Yeah! Don't be a pussy, Crispy!" Changbin retorted his head to Chan. Woojin could only frown as the two boys could never agree on something.

Straight kids argument kept heating up as time went by. Jisung still lowered his head, ashamed of himself for liking a boy as he read various hate comments about him from a bunch of homophobes. Tears continued to form silently. His cheeks were dry, but he didn't care because he was about to shower them with a rainfall of despair.

Minho began to notice Jisung's strange behavior from the way he didn't speak much as usual. He was worried sick, but at this moment he was more sad at the fact that he couldn't wipe Jisung's tears away when needed. Sadly, planting soft kisses on his boyfriend's helmet was the only thing he was capable of doing to comfort his sad squirrel.

"Stop reading those comments. Haters are just jealous of your perfection." Minho quickly stole the younger's phone and uninstalled all his social media. Before Jisung could say anything, Minho was already busy doodling a squirrel and a cat on his phone. The drawing looked adorable and he made it more adorable by adding a simple 'I love you' on top of the cat's head, as though the cat was speaking to the squirrel. "That's better."

Concerned with the boys' sanity, Chunhua was forced to stepped into the awkward situation. "Guys, let's stop fighting. Jisung is still-" She stopped mid sentence upon watching Minho and Jisung being a sweet power couple. "Uhh... never mind. Keep arguing, I wanna see who wins." Meanwhile Minhyun was watching from afar with a bag of caramel popcorn on his lap.

"Pick me, pick me, pick me up! Pick me, pick me, pick me up! Pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me up~" Everyone including Minhyun froze comprehensively, staring at each other while the song wouldn't stop playing.

Panicked, Jisung hurriedly picked up his ringing phone. "Be quiet." He shushed the boys as he put his phone on a loudspeaker (he's wearing Sandy Cheeks' helmet remember).

"Jisung, put on your pants."

"You have a nice ass."

"Drop the liquor."

"Oh my God, he's dead!"

"Don't be so rough, Jisung~"

"Oh God." Minho aggressively lifted up Jisung's body in bridal style, carrying him out of the nasty room the moment he heard Felix and Seungmin doing a moaning choir teasingly.

"Put me down!" Jisung whispered-yelled his boyfriend with his slightly tinted cheeks.

Minho chuckled in response. His beautiful laughter gradually shortened the blonde's lifespan until he almost ceased his precious life, but resumed again by the sound of his phone. His right hand motioned, signaling a go away sign, thus Minho bid his farewell obediently. Well... after a soft peck on Jisung's nose.

┉┉

It's been a while since Jisung picked up his phone and he hadn't returned, nor showing a sign. Minho could only watch his other friends while eating Minhyun's popcorn in boredom. Apparently killing time wasn't so satisfying, at least for him.

Hyunjin and Seungmin were busy cuddling under Hyunjin's blanket, Jeongin was trying his hardest to prank Woojin, Chunhua and Chan were having a serious argument about the proper way to eat cereal, Felix was desperate for Changbin's attention who's busy making love with music. Therefore he attempted running on every objects he spotted, helplessly doing his damnedest to defy gravity. Minho and Minhyun were lost somewhere around the wilderness. Hyunjin's room felt more like Nat Geo Wild at this point.

Accidentally stepping on Hyunjin's llama doll, Felix slipped and fell on the floor which covered in carpet. Lucky him, Changbin finally gave him attention which he didn't give three minutes prior.

"Bro, what happen?" Changbin took off his Airpods, running towards Felix who's dramatically crying in pain.

Felix hugged the midget, putting his face on his chest. "Sorry bro, but I fell."

"Oh my God, what happened?" His voice sounded muffled, almost inaudible.

Felix let go of Changbin. "You wanna know?" His eyes sparkled in excitement whereas Changbin was struggling to find oxygen.

"Yes."

"Bro, I fell..." A pinkish hue started appearing on his freckled cheeks. "... for you."

Stroking gently, he questioned, "Are you in pain?"

Perplexed, Felix was caught off guard. "Yes, so much."

"Hey, are all your friends this cheesy?" Minhyun glanced at the empty-minded Minho.

"Yes, including me."

Feeling his phone beeping, Minho opened the pop-up notification.

Jisung  
sorry hyung >.< there's an emergency. i must leave now. tell the others pls 🙏

Minho  
What's wrong?

Jisung  
it's my dad

Minho  
?

Jisung  
it's the news... he knows :(

Minho  
Don't worry, I'm sure he wants the best for you

Jisung  
nO! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING

Minho  
Perhaps I don't....

┉┉


	32. 31

Jisung was dead panic when Jumin dialed his number. His father didn't say much on the phone, but instructed him to go to the specified location. Jisung didn't want to trouble Eunwoo, hence he ordered his second driver: Park Jinwoo, to take the wheel.

"How long?" He could feel his foot shaking in anticipation. He didn't know exactly what's happening to his body, why's he shaking so much, though probably he's nervous about what his father has to say. Not that he's afraid of his own father. No. He's scared of whatever news his father about to deliver.

"Just a few more intersections away. We'll be there in approximately three minutes," answered Mr. Park, unbothered by the continuous vibration caused by Jisung.

Mr. Park was right, it took them exactly three minutes to arrive safely on the spot. The next thing he knew, he was already sitting in front of Jumin with two glasses of Dalgona coffee on the table. Preferably for the two of them to savor individually, although Jumin would usually drink red wine in every occasion.

Jisung took a calming sip of Dalgona coffee. "So what's the purpose of taking me here?" His eyes traveled around the empty coffee shop, unsurprised when finding out there's only the two of them inside.

Jumin watched as Jisung calmly drank his coffee, feeling more at ease. "The Han's kid is Gay Scandal. It surprises me how much people figured out your sexual orientation when your relationship with Lee Minho is considered new."

Jisung sighed in defeat. "Actually I have an assumption regarding to the person behind this fiasco." Jumin looked rather surprised, so Jisung explained before Jumin butts in. "I know it's not very wise to assume people's motives, but there's this one girl in my class who kept chasing me, but I refused because she's only digging for my wealth. When I told her about my relationship with Minho, she's more infuriated than before. In conclusion, she spreads news about my sexuality since she has proves. Notwithstanding the consequences, she only seeks revenge."

Oh, wow... Jisung himself didn't expect to spill so much tea, but it's worth the shot. His heart felt more peaceful after vomiting all the informations he's been hiding thus far.

"I see..." Jumin hummed, registering the new information he's given. "Judging from past experience, it's best to shut the person behind this before things get worse, and I know a guy who's really good at doing so."

Jisung's head tilted in confusion. "Past experience? Is that the reason you look so relaxed despite your name and company are at stake?" Jisung recalled their conversation from the other day.

"Throughout my life, I've been dealing with a lot of people, mostly women. Some of them went overboard. By overboard, I mean against working ethic. There was this girl named Sarah who managed to intrude the security system in the mansion. Therefore I always make sure to tighten the physical and cyber security to ensure the company and the family's safety," he explained carefully. Jisung found the explanation quite amusing somehow.

"However, if we manage to find and shut the person behind this, what other things can we do? It's not like The Han's Kid is Gay scandal will suddenly be forgotten because it's the damn truth." Jisung slammed the table, feeling his blood boiled every second.

"Calm down." Jumin watched as Jisung tried to regain his composure than continued, "It is necessary to find the person behind this because that person somehow manage to update your activities to social media. If we let this pass by, that person would be likely to spread more news about you, and eventually mislead all the truth because that's the joy of ravaging other people's lives."

Some part of Jisung were agitated by witnessing his father's behavior. It sickened him.

"Why do you care so much, huh? Is it because you're trying your damnedest to save your stupid company? You're not actually sincere, are you? Let me tell you, it's different. Unlike your so called past experience, it's a he. You can always sweep those annoying girls away because you don't have feelings for them, but in my case, I can't sweep my love for Minho because my feelings are mutual. You don't understand the concept of love because you don't have feelings."

It was daring to share so much things. But the speech was pure from Jisung's heart, he was sincere.

Jumin has always been the left brain type of person; always so calculative, precise, dependable, and logical. When it comes to making decisions, he's always very careful and not let his emotions affect him. Keeping his emotions well-organized had been very handful as he handled obstacles incredibly well.

Jisung, though, was the definition of the right brain. He loved oreos and cried after watching Toy Story 4. Sorting his emotions had never been easy for him since he's filled with overflowing feelings. When it comes to making decisions, he would preferably use his hunch (the Peter tingle) rather than his big brain. Nobody knows for sure the reason behind their opposite behavioral patterns.

"Would you like another glass of Dalgona coffee or do you wish to change beverage?" The waiter approached the table to take the empty glasses.

"I need a big glass of Oreo Espresso Milkshake." His eyes were glued to the cake section. "Also the Pumpkin Crumb Cake, please."

"Sir, would you like to order something?" Jumin shook his head, thus he stated while making mental notes, "Oreo Espresso Milkshake and Pumpkin Crumb Cake... please do not change tables before your orders are made. Thank you." Then the waiter left.

Once more, it's the two of them alone.

Jumin stayed calm. "In this situation, I think it's best for us to be logical. Whoever spreads the news must be charged for violating personal information." Jumin called his personal driver, Mr. Kim, to the table. "Driver Kim, please tell Assistant Kang to contact Seven immediately. It's an urgent matter."

Seven? Who the fuck is Seven? I only know Sven from Frozen. Wait... why am I suddenly invested in his stupid plan? Ah, forget it. Fuck you, brain! Jisung's mind wandered but acted like he couldn't care less.

Jisung started another conversation. "Do you love Mom?"

The sudden question startled Jumin. "Yes and I thought we've discussed to not discuss about her any longer."

Jisung rolled his eyes rather too uncomplimentary for Jumin's liking. "Impossible. You can't possibly love her if you don't even love me. Mother once told me that 'to love a family is to love every part of it'."

"Jisung, I never said that I don't love you."

"But you never said that you love me or act like you do. Your mind is always profit, profit, and profit. You're a fucking stone and I fucking hate stones because I keep tripping over it."

"Jisung!" Jumin's voice was low and stern. "Please understand that I'm trying my best to protect you. I care about you."

"Why do you suddenly care? It's not like I ask for your help or something," he proclaimed, standing up on his foot to leave. "Tell the waiter to give my orders to Driver Kim. I'm leaving with Mr. Park."

Before Jumin could say anything, Jisung had already left the coffee shop with Mr. Park. Jumin sighed in defeat. His heart shattered upon realizing that his own son refused his help, or basically refused him. Although Jisung had left, his voice kept ringing in Jumin's ears.

"Why do you suddenly care? It's not like I ask for your help or something."

Sighed. "Because I'm not very straight as well."

┉┉

Another morning came by after a couple of mornings and Jisung was finally ready to go to school. His body was fully recovered, hence the Sandy Cheek's costume was no longer needed. It's been a whole week, yet he felt like passing through decades. Another nerve-wrecking morning for Jisung because he knew he would be the subject of gossip. The thought of walking at the school's hallway didn't sound very appealing anymore.

He was disheartened due to the fact that he had to change car every time he left the house to prevent fan chasing sort of event since the news kept getting hotter each day, as if he's being watched, but he's not so sure himself. Maybe it's just his anxiety, maybe it's not. Who knows? Probably the author of his life.

As he stepped his foot inside the school building, he took a deep breath of realization. His body was prepared for what's coming, though his mind wasn't. He pretended like he's nobody famous.

To his surprise, everything went normal. Strangely normal. Not that he's displeased, he was stoked. Not a single person was caught bad-mouthing him, nor giving suspicious look, at least from his line of vision. He walked to class, sit on the very back as usual, greeting his seat mate Felix and his other close friends, and copied Jeongin's homework. His classmates were pretty chill, even the main suspect: Britney bitch was acting awfully normal. In his mind, he knew that bitch was just faking it. Her sheepish grin without context proved his suspicion to be correct—that's based on his solitary intuition.

Little did he know that the peaceful atmosphere was created by none other than Straight Kids. In fact, they purposely arrived before Jisung to make sure that all the students were informed about Jisung's mood drop. They were told to act normal, be completely silent, or Felix would drop kick them all.

All the classes went by perfectly normal. Therefore Jisung also tried his best to act normal. His interactions with his friends were fine as usual, but he couldn't bring himself together when he's faced with Minho. A pang of guilt engraved throughout his body, turning on his guards once again.

What did I do? I ruined this boy's whole career and reputation in the public's eyes. Way to go, boyfriend.

Despite his unsuccessful attempts to maintain eye contact, he stayed calm. However, not a single words were spoken. Feeling ashamed, Jisung could only bring himself to mutter an audible "Sorry" before leaving him speechless. As he walked away with his head down, he could feel all eyes darting towards his direction. All the normal things that the students had done seemed more like a facade to him. It's a mask. In reality, they're all bad-mouthing him. Weakly shifting his legs, he felt awful. His heart shattered. Who knows minor action could cause such a terrible impact on him, or is he just being dramatic? Perhaps so.

The day went by as predicted, though that doesn't mean he was ready for it. He was never ready to be heartbroken. Inside, he knew this particular feeling. It felt familiar, yet so unwanted.

It was rejection. Jisung was rejected by society. Apparently his dreaded nightmare was indeed reality which he couldn't bare facing. At this moment, he was beginning to doubt that love was the right path for him. He began to question whether dragging Minho to his life was a good option. Regret. It may sound pretty simple, but it never was. Everything was now complicated.

┉┉


	33. 32

Jisung knew he should've listened to his father; he shouldn't go out by himself, not making his friends worry, rely on his assistant, trust himself, and whatnots. Still, he neglected those warnings and completely done the opposites. Talking about idiots, there you have Jisung: an airhead with money in his pockets.

Nobody knows that Jisung's a skillful driver. Everyone simply thought that Jisung had no interest upon learning how to drive because he's born with a silver spoon on his dining table, which means he had enough drivers who would drive him anywhere he wishes, including Fuck You-Topia if he wants to.

Wearing his jet-black leather jacket, Jisung walked himself to the parking area, heating up his Kawasaki, put on a helmet, and finally let his body controlled the vehicle to a place dear to him: the mountains. He felt yearning for the mountains after being stuck behind the walls he called home. He was slightly nervous due to the fact that it's the first time he's driving something's drivable in a long period of time, which means he must be responsible for his action, and being responsible is not really a Jisung thing to begin with.

Let's just say that he was in a very bad mood.

Yesterday, when he went shopping in the nearest convenience store to buy some milk, a couple in their twenties caught him shopping and bad-mouthed him. Laughing their asses off, they teased Jisung, saying stuff like, "You remind me of your father, but worse..." or, "If you're not gay, I would totally be into you, but you're gay and I don't wanna be infected with your gay aura."

Jisung found it odd that many people pictures homosexuality as some type of infectious disease, or treating gay people so poorly as though they're not allowed to be happy. It's not like they're criminals or something. Criminals can be straight, gay, or anything else, and will remain criminals. Sexuality is neither an occupation, nor a disease, that's what Jisung always thought. Though he was known for his violent mouth, the thought of assassinating his haters never crossed his mind. It was Felix's job, not him.

But now he was beginning to question himself. Growing up in an accepting environment made him the happiest human potato in the whole world. However, realizing that those people are very likely to be found in the outside world scared him. If he was the happiest human potato back then, he's now a mashed potato, while others visualize him as gnocchi or something.

Having his mood plummeted into porridge, he drove as fast as he can, until he felt like he could see the view of the summit. To everyone's relief, he didn't get hit by a truck on the intersection, a drunk driver, or any other cliché bait he could think of. Jisung arrived at the mountains safe and sound.

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light—oh shut up, background music!

"What a lovely weather for a shitty day~" Jisung continued to inhaled and exhaled the fresh oxygen, repeating the process until his mind was in ease. Having a decent breathing exercise has always been Jisung's therapy whenever he felt like jumping off a cliff or undergo the process of exorcism.

He believed that everyone has their own Satan within themselves—well.. more like demon. Just like what The Ancient One said to Mordo in the movie Doctor Strange, "We never lose our demon, Mordo. We only learn to live above them."

Yeah, bitch. I only have to live above my selfish, egotistical bastard self, just like how my head is placed above my ass. Again, Jisung referred himself as a bitch because the enjoyment he felt after degrading himself was quite amusing. He knew it wasn't a healthy habit, but at least it's better to keep his low self-esteem instead of thinking way highly of himself.

Jisung's meditation was somewhat interrupted by a silent voice. Not exactly silent, more like ill-defined whispers. Jisung gasped upon realizing that there's a guy praying on his knees three meters away; a stranger. He has orange hair, and he's wearing a jacket, simple blue jeans and a headphone around his neck. Oh, also a very cheeky glasses. This guy's whole existence petrified Jisung so much. He swore to his life that he was completely alone three seconds ago.

With a faint voice, the orange head prayed, "In the name of Father, the Son, and the holy ghost..."

Holy ghost? Did he heard him correctly or was his ears deceiving him?

The orange head guy continued praying, "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes. Turn up your nose, strike that pose..." He sighed deeply, seemingly about to end his prayer. Looking serious, he said, "Hey Macarena" and the prayer's over.

When the orange guy opened his eyes, Jisung realized that he was caught staring at him. Before he could digest what had happened, they had a staring contest. It took Jisung only seconds to blink his eyes. Great, he just met a stranger and he already lost a staring contest.

The orange guy shared a welcoming smile. "Good game well played, Jisung-meow! We should totally do that again sometimes-meow, although I bet you'd lose against me because nobody can ever beat me: the ultimate night owl! Oops, I forgot to meow at the last part. Pardon my meow." He declared those words with pride. His voice sounded low-key robotic.

Blinking hard, Jisung stammered, "Wait... how did you my name? Who the hell are you and what's your deal with Macarena?"

"Slow down, kittie cat... I am the defender of justice, Agent 707 at your service! With the power of Doctor Pepper and Honey Buddha Chips within me, I am inevitable! Not even God and Tony Stark can save you now." Jisung was speechless while the orange head chuckled. "Just call me Seven. Don't worry, I'm not a criminal, but I'm not good with promises. I may be a dangerous person, but I have no bad intentions."

Seven? Wasn't he the guy who was mentioned by Jumin? Puzzled, Jisung chose to sit next to Seven, though he was still suspicious.

Seven put his arm around Jisung's shoulder. Jisung winced and shrugged him off. Seven adjusted his glasses, explaining, "Before you ask, Imma tell you straight away—uh, I mean gay away that your father and I are acquaintances. We used to be in this secret charity organization called Rika's Fundraising Assassins, but shits happened so we're not into organizations thingy anymore."

"O-kay...?"

"Let's just say I got curious and purposely hacked into your house's security cameras, leading me to know you so well because I also traced your social media platforms and stuff, put my hands on your personal informations because I'm totally dangerous and in love with Elly." He finished the last sentence with a blush appearing on his cheeks.

"First of all, what the fuck. Second, are you talking about Elizabeth the 3rd? And lastly, are you catsexual like my father or what?" Jisung himself was surprised himself with his communication skill. He sure communicates well with strangers.

Seven laughed at Jisung's curiosity. His laughter seemed to triggered Jisung in a spiritual level, though he gave no shit whatsoever.

Finally, he stopped laughing. "Yes, I was talking about your father's cat and no, I am not catsexual. I am a proud pansexual and I'm in a relationship with this super cute girl with long brunette hair and bangs that are too long, it covers her eyes. I don't mind, though. I don't want anyone to see those beautiful eyes aside from me. Oh, did I tell you that I confessed my feelings for her using binary codes and she freaking understood me, so we're getting married in the space station next month and have cat babies—"

"Seven." Jisung's voice was stern, Seven got chills hearing his Jumin-like tone.

"Sorry I ended up rambling. What was I supposed to say....?" Seven lied his body on the grassy surface. "Right! Jumin Han is not catsexual, he's actually bisexual."

Jisung's eyes shot open in disbelief. "What? Are you serious?"

Seven locked his eyes on Jisung's. "Do I look like a liar? Well, I'm obviously a liar but I don't lie when it comes to sexuality." He opened a can of drink out of nowhere and took a sip. "Answer me. Why are girls so hot? And why are boys so hot?"

Rummaging his brain cells, he answered without a second thought. "Global warming."

"That's exactly what Jumin said to me. Guess what? The next day he came out as a bisexual."

"What kind of fuckery are you trying to demonstrate with all these informations?" he asked in curiosity.

Smiling, Seven had been dying to be asked this question. "Jumin sent me to watch over you. I agreed because he overpaid me. You may not believe it but he's doing it out of love. He loves you. He was so scared when he heard those news about you because he didn't want you to experience what he had experienced back then."

He didn't want me to experience what he had experienced? What is Seven trying to imply by saying that?

"What happened?" was all he could ask.

Seven winked his eyes. "Ask him, not me! I ain't your family."

"But you seem to know more than me."

Seven face-palmed so hard, his glasses fell off. "Jisung, what do you think of Elly? I demand you to give me a complete essay about your experience with Elly!"

Jisung couldn't find any correlation between Seven's knowledge and Elizabeth the 3rd. He was doubtful, yet he followed Seven's instruction. "I wasn't fond with cats. I admit, I hate seeing Elizabeth around the house because her fur kept falling and she's not very humanly. At first I didn't know the reason I despised her so much until I came to a conclusion that I was jealous of her. I never had my father's attention, yet Elizabeth got more attention than everyone else in the world..."

Seven looked rather unsatisfied. "Your essay is too short, keep 'em going."

He continued, "I know I'm kinda childish but I have the right to act that way because I'm hungry for love. Although it wasn't very smooth at the beginning, I tried to love Elizabeth and now I fucking love her. Turns out she's cute as fuck. She's like a consultant. No, she's better than that. She's a... good listener! I can ramble all night and she would listen without being judgmental. However, Eunwoo often got worried when I talk to myself."

Seven plastered a satisfied smug. Clicking his fingers, he started his theory once more. "So you admit that you misjudged Elly."

Jisung nodded, causing Seven to rose from his feet, smiling like an idiot. "Jisung-meow, the key point is communication. You misjudged Elly because you lack familiarity, same goes for Jumin-meow. Jumin is a family person. However, you haven't seen that side of him because you lack communication or perhaps he's shown you that side of him, but you failed to notice due to your ignorance. Yeah, Jumin once said that ignorance is bliss, yet not this time. Talk to him, forgive him, and open your eyes-meow."

Jisung chuckled. "You sound like my mother." He was expecting laughter from the other speaker, yet he couldn't find any. Seven was dead serious. "By the way, why are you so invested in my family?"

"Don't get too excited about it. I want the money. Jumin paid me for this-meow. In the name of my dear God of cats and in the name of my dear God of steaks. I solemnly swear that I will always be Jumin Han's humble servant. If not, then I won't get good money to buy more sports car." Wow, Seven's honesty sure surprised Jisung.

Jisung stood up, preparing himself to go home. Talking to Seven sure helped him stabilize his emotions.

"Seven, I'm going home. What about you?" Jisung asked while putting on his helmet.

"Nah, I'm staying here for a while. I think I need a me-time after losing my will to live. I haven't seen this in 15 years." Before Jisung could interrupt, Seven added, "Jisung, you may hate me if you know more about me or my family. This is officially our first and last meeting. After you talk to Jumin, you might not like me that much, therefore it's better for us to be apart. Don't worry, I'll make sure to erase all news regarding to your sexuality and finally close the case. The media is nothing compared to my hacking skill. Trust me, I'm the best hacker in the hacking industry."

Jisung still wanted to ask. Nevertheless, he decided against it, knowing it's not his position to step over the boundaries. He respected Seven's decision and kind offer. He was thankful that in this crappy world of social media, a genius hacker was on his side. Sometimes, being a simpleton is the best way of living. Over thinking only caused pain.

"Oh, one more thing." Seven pulled Jisung's hand. "Talk to Minho." Jisung only nodded sheepishly. "I know you feel guilty, you probably feel like you've dragged Minho to your problematic life which he doesn't deserve. I'm telling you—no, you're not doing anything wrong, so does he. So please, talk to him."

"I will. Thank you, Seven."

┉┉


	34. 33

It was midnight, and Jisung was waiting patiently outside Jumin's office for God knows how long. He wasn't expecting the long wait, his body was though, remained still. Even Eunwoo was concerned since this is the first time he saw Jisung being so persistent. He could see Jisung's determination from the way Jisung stared at the door. It was blindly obvious, even for blind people. Seven sure had gotten Jisung wrapped around his finger.

Up until this second, Jisung hasn't spoke a word to Minho. He was being hesitant without him knowing, though he promised Seven to give Minho a proper conversation. Maybe later.

He may regret it later, at least not for now.

As soon as he saw the door opening, without second thought, he pulled Jumin's hand with force, leading him to the other building.

Jumin's mouth agape a little. "Jisung, what—"

"We need to talk." Jisung's put on a serious look on his face. "Jaehee (Jumin's personal assistant), take care of Elizabeth for a minute!"

"Of course I will." Jaehee faked a smile. "Mr. Han, call me if you need anything." Jumin nodded in approval, then Jaehee left them alone.

They arrived at an empty room alone. Both of them sit face to face, knowing what kind of topic Jisung would discuss.

Jumin opened the discussion, expressionless. "What did Seven tell you?" Well, it may sounded like an interrogation at this point. Regardless, they went with the flow.

"Not much," he answered truthfully. "He basically encouraged me to talk to you. He didn't tell me anything aside from your sexuality."

"Oh" was all Jumin could say. Jisung's eyes flickered with incredulity. Some part of him felt satisfied upon making Jumin speechless, some other felt bad for touching such sensitive topic. Nonetheless, he has the right to be specific.

Jisung knew their conversation won't last long, so he muttered his apology for acting arrogant and selfish to Jumin. A sincere apology won't hurt anybody.

Jumin's voice softened. "You don't have to be sorry. I should be the one apologizing for being a workaholic. I should've prioritized family over profession." His hand found his way to Jisung's smaller ones. Connecting their hands, a strong family bond rushed throughout their body, loosened their ego, opened their minds, and ease the heart. This felt better than any other meditation Jisung had attempted before.

"If you're sorry, why don't you share some of your experiences? You know... tell me about your ex boyfriend," he pleaded, eyes rapidly blinking.

"Well, it's time for you to know." Jumin breathed in and out, eyes darting to Jisung's big ones. "Jihyun Kim was my childhood friend before we dated."

Jisung didn't look satisfied with the short statement, thus Jumin proceeded the story. "We grew up in the same neighborhood, continuously met at the church, and whatnots. Our friendship was merely platonic back then."

"How did you two end up as lovers?" Jisung posed a question Jumin was dreading to hear, yet he stayed calm and composed.

"He moved due to his family's business and we lost contact. I was too busy with work while constantly dealing with women I'm not interested to deepen my relationship with, while the story of Jihyun remained unknown. He was the secretive type who enjoys hoarding his burdens all by himself." Jumin's eyes teared up a little while story-telling. Jisung couldn't help but notice his glassy iris. Even so, he didn't bother a single muscle, letting Jumin mourned in his tiny own world.

Hands still interlocked, he continued, "One day, I went to the mountains. I had a rough day after dealing with my parent's divorce and more women. I was yearning for a peaceful evening as I enjoyed the scenery from the mountains. There I met Jihyun: the guy who mysteriously disappeared from this world... "

"... Jihyun and I immediately clicked. I'm not 100% sure how, but our relationship deepened until we've reached the point where it's not considered platonic anymore." Jisung smiled upon hearing Jumin's honest answer. The day where he would sit face to face with Jumin, sharing secrets while holding hands seemed impossible back then. However now, the dream was no longer distant.

At this stage, Jisung attempted to hypothesize the causality. "My suggestion is you two get caught, then the media went wild. Eventually, you guys were forced to break up. Is that so?"

"You're half right." Jumin was pretty impressed. "The media went extremely wild, it's sickening. I was beginning to doubt myself. At the end, we broke up to save the company's reputation and to clear our names. In the aftermath of our break up, Jihyun decided to go out with this particular girl who had been crushing on him since forever. He gave her a chance. I was happy when I figured out he's dating a girl because his happiness is also my happiness."

"Where is he now? Do they get married?" Jisung continued bombarding Jumin with questions after another. Thankfully, Jumin didn't find it troublesome at all.

"They were engaged, not yet married. Jihyun seemed to love her deeply, he even converted his religion to whatever his fiancé's commanded him to, since he wasn't accepted in our church. I would say that his fiancé was overly obsessive and mentally ill, although Jihyun wouldn't listen to me and followed her wherever she goes." Jumin took a deep breath, his fingers were slightly fidgeting in the process. "Jihyun... he died. He was shot to death by..."

"By who?" Jisung was getting impatient. The thought of Jihyun's death never crossed his mind.

Jumin let go of Jisung's hand. "Jihyun Kim was shot to death by Seven's twin brother." Before Jisung could comprehend with the whole story line, Jumin finished his story with a message, "Please do not hold grudges against Seven or his brother. Seven and his twin brother lived in a completely different world. Jihyun's fiancé's brainwashed him, resulting him to kill Jihyun himself."

"W-what?"

"Jisung, that's why I want to protect you from all the bad people out there. We can't possibly predict our future, we can only take baby steps together," he finished the story with a warm embrace. "Jihyun is in a better place now. He was a victim of domestic violence, at least he can rest in peace now. Sometimes he came into my dream, bringing happy memories at my darkest hour."

Jisung let his tears fell on Jumin's chest. Jumin was the one who should be crying, instead it's Jisung. He repeatedly muttered the same "I'm sorry" for minutes.

"Mommy also comes to my dream, bringing happy memories," Jisung interfered his own apologies with a statement.

Jumin wiped his son's tears away from his face. "What other people think only lasts a second... but how you consider yourself lasts forever."

Eventually, the father and son duo ended up spending the night together, telling each other's stories to be remembered. For Jisung, it was the best night he could possibly asked for.

┉┉

Jisung wished to share another conversation with Jumin, but decided against it since it's almost 4 A.M. and besides, Jumin had to work on Saturday too.

Jisung was about to leave Minho a message, yet his fingers slipped on Felix's number. It was on purpose, though Jisung wouldn't admit so.

Being the duo memelord for eternity, Jisung knew well that Felix would pick up the phone forthwith. He was an early bird after all.

"G'day, you fucktard. Who's the fucking fucker I should kill this friggity fucking time?" Felix's usual greeting put a smile on Jisung's face.

Laughing weekly, he answered, "Felix, it's not about homicide."

"Oh, that's rare." Jisung swore he could hear Felix throwing away his light saber onto the floor. "By the way bro, I can't sleep last night, so I spent my night thinking about Kuroo Tetsurou and I think I'm pregnant now."

Jisung face-palmed so hard, he almost lost his overall mental stability. "Bro, how many times do I have to tell you to stop watching anime shows in devil's hour. And for fuck's sake, Felix, men can't get pregnant, you should be celebrating your inability of giving birth from the day you were born."

"Haha... funny story bro, have you heard of omegaverse?"

"Nope, and I'm not interested in any sort of fanfic isekai thingy you're talking about. So please stop and get some help." Jisung yawned, his sleepiness was starting to affect him. "I can't believe my best bro is a weirdo."

Felix snapped, "No. Weird would be dancing naked in front your pets." Jisung almost fell asleep, he couldn't even register Felix's sentence properly. "Don't tell me you twerked naked in front of Elizabeth the 3rd... Gosh, I can't believe you bro. What did Elizabeth do to deserve such vicissitudes."

"Bro, I called you because I wanna talk about something before I fall asleep." Jisung didn't wait for Felix's response to continue. "Have you heard anything from Minho? He stopped calling me after spamming me with calls yesterday. I wanna get in touch with him but somehow I'm so nervous. I don't know what's stopping me, but I found myself doubtful and... guilty. I can't possibly speak to him after all the trouble I gave him."

Felix cleared his throat, serious. "Bro, for as long as I known you, I really hate that scaredy cat side of yours." He frowned and added, "I'm gonna be really honest with you. Right now you're being selfish. Minho was worrying over you and all you did was ignoring his calls like it's nothing. I know you're in pain, but please, you're not the only one suffering with this whole scandal thingy. At least say something, even if it's only a word. It won't hurt you to type a single "sorry" or "I'm okay". Don't leave a worried boy hanging, he might fall anytime soon without you knowing."

Felix can be scary when he's serious. Whenever Felix starts nagging, there's gotta be at least one sentence that drove Jisung insane. Somehow, the last sentence had that impact on him.

It's a great feeling to be awoken with your best friend's words. He's glad to have Felix on his side, speaking nothing but the harsh truth. Sometimes, it's better to be hurt by the truth instead of faking it with lies. The way Felix didn't sugarcoat his words worked well for a simpleton like Jisung who wouldn't want to spend his life to think rationally.

They would have shared an even better conversation, perhaps more healing if Jisung didn't fall asleep. However, he fell asleep during the call due to staying up late. Felix ended the call as soon as he heard Jisung's soft snoring.

Jisung slept.

And he kept sleeping.

Sleeping.

He might have overslept because the next thing he experienced was chills.

┉┉


	35. 34

Ah, another beautiful morning, waking up in this great hellhole.

Except it wasn't great at all. Of course there's a famous saying which said, "As long as there's a hole, there's a way." Except that saying is pretty much the distortion of as long as there's a will, there's a way—though no one gives a shit about that. Be that as it may, hellhole isn't really the best hole to choose in the world of holes.

"Don't leave a worried boy hanging, he might fall anytime soon without you knowing."

Something's definitely off. If it wasn't for his psychic dream, he wouldn't have shot his eyes open so abruptly. Cold sweat running from his skin, soaking the bedsheets to Jisung's disgust.

Disorder only leads to chaos. In Jisung's case, his systems were all clogged, nothing seemed to function as ordered.

His body moved itself to reach his phone. The battery almost died, and ergo he quickly plugged the charger in. Something's telling him to check his phone's notification as his fingers automatically moved the way his mind desired.

Twenty two mis-calls by Chunhua, followed by spam messages from the same number. Crap, something must've gone terrible wrong, or so he thought. Just as he was about to call her, Chunhua called him again, making it her 23rd's attempt. He picked up the phone, put it in loudspeaker.

"Oh my God, you finally answered." Her voice sounded rather raspy compared to regular basis. "Jisung, I need you to come to the hospital right this freaking minute. It's urgent."

Jisung raised his voice in a repulsive manner. "Hospital? For fuck's sake, tell me it's not Minho or I'm gonna bust!" He was trying his hardest to reject all the negative thoughts away, yet he couldn't because Chunhua didn't make an objection. She's not responding his question, making it clear that Minho was held hostage... well not like captivation wise, more like being treated for whatever misfortune he had to withstood.

"I've sent you the address on the messenger. Please come. I'll be waiting for you." With that she closed the call. Grabbing a jacket closest to him, Jisung ran down the stairs, dragging Eunwoo on his way to the parking lot.

Eunwoo jerked his hands off, unamused. "Jisung, can you explain the way you don't look presentable at all and the reason we're in front of a car?"

Jisung mouthed a nonchalant "drive" to Eunwoo's surprise. "Go to this location ASAP!" He showed Eunwoo the address. Jisung sat anxiously on the passenger's seat as Eunwoo turned on the engine. Jisung only trusted Eunwoo in fast driving, wherefore it led him to the decision of choosing him between all the other pokémon scattered around the Han's mansion.

The ride was faster than expected. Eunwoo was a skilful driver, he should consider car racing, though Jisung wouldn't be so pleased to have Eunwoo switch occupation insofar as they were practically two attached souls.

Eunwoo didn't bother to park the car. In fact, he dropped Jisung on the lobby himself. "Jisung, I'm kinda busy now. If you need a ride, contact Mr. Park or Bambam so he can tell the others." Jisung nodded as Eunwoo slowly vanished from his sight.

Okay, time to not panic. Breathe in, breathe out, repeat the process... well fuck, I'm getting anxious.

He rushed himself to the receptionist. The moment he was face to face with the receptionist lady, he said "Lee Minho" without her asking.

"Lee Minho..." Her hand roamed over the patient list way too slow for Jisung's liking. "What is your relation with the patient, Sir?"

Jisung had a mental conflict between choosing friends or lovers. Stupidly failed to realize his visibly blush from thinking way ahead. The receptionist lady had a scowl on her face upon waiting for Jisung's answer.

The receptionist lady seemed to lost her patience, as she looked directly to Jisung's eyes. Their eyes met and the receptionist lady's eyes widen in acknowledgement.

"Ahh, you must be Han Jisung, his boyfriend." She flicked her own head. "Lee Minho is in room 78, the third floor." Jisung nodded, surprised on the fact that he wasn't being judged by a stranger whom he met for the first time.

He bowed. "Thank you." Then quickly ran through the corridor, eagerly scanning for the desired number. The elevator was quite crowded, hence he climbers the stairs to the third floor.

The moment he had reached the third floor, he felt like collapsing onto the floor. Physically, he wasn't that tired, but he's mentally drained. As he felt his legs crumbling slowly, a hand reached him, caught him, and dragged him to the nearest seat. The familiar blue skirt reminded him of a certain individual—oh, it must be Chunhua.

"Where the fuck is Minho?" He tried to restrain himself from screaming. "I need to see him."

"He's inside. The doctor told us to wait here." Chunhua handed him a bottle of water. "Drink up. I need to talk to you."

Jisung gulped down the liquid faster than Quicksilver's death. His throat felt much better. "You owe me an explanation," he muttered. Their eyes met for a deep conversation.

She trailed off, "I found him on a quiet street, bruises and blood all over his body." Jisung's eyes widen, hence Chunhua continued, "I don't exactly know what happened, but judging from his bruises, I guess he's involved in a gang attack. They look like punch mark."

"He what? Why would someone attack a precious sunshine like Minho? It doesn't make any sense," he pondered endlessly.

"It's something we should ask him after he regain his consciousness." She gently patted Jisung's back to calm him.

Then there was silence.

Chunhua tried to kill the awful silence with the one topic she's been wanting to discuss with Jisung. "I haven't had the chance to talk about this, but..." she trailed off. "Minho gets lonely easily."

Jisung stayed silent, thus Chunhua inferred the silence as her cue to continue. "He lost his parents at such a young age, didn't have the chance to express himself. I guess that's the reason for his loneliness."

Jisung tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I think the existence of his cats really helped him fill the hole in his heart, although cats aren't substitutes for his parents' absence. He needed real people to understand him, not animals. I'm not sure, maybe he pictures himself as a helper, so that no one else has to endure the feeling of loneliness. And that's why he chose me at that time... because I was on my lowest point, I was desperately lonely and needed help." Chunhua gripped the hem of his jacket.

"He saw through me. I know it's hard to believe that the oblivious Minho can do such thing. He saw through me."

Jisung hummed, "He helped you. However, you didn't help him." He clenched his teeth, agitated. "Are you saying that I only took advantage of his kindness and eventually left him? Tell me, Chunhua! Am I that selfish? I know I don't deserve him, but am I that horrible?"

"Absolutely not. Jisung, you're missing my point." She was also getting frustrated. "You are different. Not a single mortal being in any universe view yourself the way he views you. His eyes literally sparkled, he's genuinely happy when he's with you. So Jisung, don't ever look down on yourself. When you're sad, he's also sad, and vise versa."

"Chunhua, I... I don't know what to do. I'm not experienced like you," he admitted.

"Jisung, relationship is not as simple as you plus me equals us. Multiplying two different variables like X and Y... hold on, I suddenly can't arrange my sentence." She shook her head. "Jisung, X plus Y equals..?"

"X plus Y." Jisung scratched the back of his head. "I appreciate your effort, but why the fuck are you turning our deep talk into some mathematic shit?"

Chunhua snapped her fingers. "Oh, I think I'm mistaken. Sorry Jisung, I wasn't using the right parable."

All of the sudden the door slid open, revealing a very serious looking doctor. Both of them jolted in surprise, obviously eager to walk in.

The two asked in unison, "How's he?"

"His body was beaten up quite severely, although I can ensure you that it's nothing to be concerned of because he's awake now. Be patient with him, he's still exhausted," the doctor announced. They both sighed in relief. Thank goodness he's okay. "You can come in. However, please keep it quiet. He's still not completely healed, at least for now."

They bowed. "Thank you, Doctor." The doctor smiled then walked off to another room.

Jisung felt overly emotional after seeing Minho's fragile body lying on the hospital bed with machines surrounding him. The sight wasn't delightful at all, but knowing that his boyfriend's alright was more than enough.

Chunhua seemed to have busied herself calming Jisung whilst he was sitting next to Minho's bed, their fingers interlocked. Jisung's other hand found his way to Minho's hair, down to his face. Grazing his beautiful features, learning them with his subtle touch. Every time he felt his face against his thumb, he realized how grateful he is to have him by his side, breathing peacefully.

It's like unraveling disheveled threads, then redo the whole process to create the perfect sweater; where they could comfortably nuzzle inside, enhancing their warmth, yet still looking stylish.

Smiling, Jisung lowered his head until he had reached Minho's ear. Softly he whispered the simplest "I love you" to his ear. Things might be complicated at this point. Nevertheless, you can't go wrong by keeping it simple. Over thinking kills the brain. Just like how Jumin likes ruled notebooks. Disorder only leads to chaos.

"I l-love you too." He could hear Minho's faint whisper beside him. It's crazy how three simple words have such impact on them. He wanted to kiss him, he wanted to kiss him so badly. Too bad the situation wasn't specifically suited for a kissing scene. Jisung could feel Chunhua smile from the corner of his eyes. She's like a proud mother.

"Finally," she squealed happily. "Oh right, I remember it now..." she trailed off. "Relationship is like multiplying 0.5 and 0.5 together. When you're committed in a relationship, you need to throw away your own ego and all the other shits inside of you. Same goes for the other person. Because 0.5 plus 0.5 equals 1. Of course you can't be whole without your shadows, but have to accept each other's negatives and positives to become one. At this point it doesn't make any sense anymore but who the fuck cares? Love is a universal language that everyone should learn."

Jisung chuckled upon hearing her long ass explanation. "Yeah, you don't make any sense at all. I wonder how that Starbucks prince wants to be your boyfriend. By the way, where's he?"

"He was busy dealing with the police officers. You know... reporting this incident because it's fucking illegal and life-threatening."

They were distracted by the sound of Minho's coughing. Somehow Chunhua's sentence intrigued Minho. He clearly have something to say.

"Take it slowly." Jisung gave him a promising smile. In his mind, he was eager to find out whatever words he's about to sputter.

With pure anger, he said, "Those fucking homophobes." Leaving Jisung and Chunhua performing a mannequin challenge.

┉┉


	36. 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before the accident...

Minho was busy feeding his cats after several unsuccessful attempts to make a phone call to Jisung. The three cats seemed rather peaceful unlike the owner. Minho recalled his struggles upon taming Soon-ie and Dong-ie who kept yearning for Dori's attention every single hour. Both cats adored the cute maknae: Dori, as though Dori was more interested in Minho than the lousy cats.

This night though, was different. The trio immediately dozed off after being fed by Minho: the responsible cat dad. How he wished to have the ability to read their deepest thoughts as they lied peacefully on the carpet. Perhaps they're judging Minho, or maybe they didn't like the new carpet. Who knows? They're just cats; unable to emphasize with Minho's abrupt state of mind, nor give him advice. Though the thought of Soon-ie, Dong-ie, and Dori giving him advice sounded somewhat terrifying and fascinating in his head at the same time.

Minho was feeling lonely; painfully, thoroughly, excruciatingly lonely.

He hated it when the loneliness started to merge into his body, taking control. Every once in a while, all those memories flashed before his eyes. The beautiful ones, of course. But the most beautiful one comes in with the most hurtful truth. It reminded him how empty his heart has been ever since the accident.

Usually on nights, Minho would check out the flowers in his garden which were all planted by his father. Thrilling was the perfect word to describe the flowers. They're all arranged in a way that made their house looked like Barbie's garden. Not to mention that the night sky made the flowers looked prettier, as the moonlight illuminated each petals, making them looked more vibrant, especially in the eyes whom appreciate nature's beauty.

In the afternoon, he usually watched as his mother tried to communicate with bees, telling them to suck the nectar inside each flowers. The bees somehow understood her, although she was practically using obscure language. Translation's still needed, or so his father said. Minho would've just laughed it out whenever his parents' natural science knowledge collided with each other.

However everything changed. It was all because of a drunk truck driver whose truck literally crushed his parents' car and killed them right before they're about to have their romantic anniversary dinner. (unfortunately this scenario also happened to a girl in my school last year. the accident occurred on the night before the choir competition. she died on her way home after the last rehearsal. we're not exactly friends, but i remember holding her hand when we're having night expedition together during camp. rest in peace)

Minho remembered seeing an uninvited woman knocking on his front door instead of his parents. She claimed herself to be his mother's best friend and the moment she told him the news, he could only stood frozen with wide eyes. He was only eleven years old when he realized that he's going to be an orphan.

Everything felt different with his parents' absence. His grandparents took him after since. However, that woman who came to Minho's house at the saddest day of his life helped his grandparents raised him because they're unable to raise him. He started calling her 'Auntie', though they're not blood-related. She wasn't his legal guardian, yet he cared so much about him. He fed him, taught him everything he needed, gave him enough affection, also bought him three cats to accompany him. She said that animals can sometimes be better than humans; they would listen to their owner without giving judgment. And she's absolutely right about that.

Just thinking about the past, he felt both anguish and asphyxia—the anguish of sinking into depravity, and asphyxia because he kept pretending about his wellbeing.

Minho didn't realize how much he needed comfort until his fingers trailed themselves to reach his phone, contacting the only person who would pick up at this hour.

"Hello." A voice greeted him from the other line.

"Hi, Auntie." His voice was weary, yet still clear enough for the other party to hear. "I miss you."

She let out a small laughter. "Minho, I can simply go home."

"Don't," he interrupted. "I'm the one who encouraged you to live the way you wanted. I'm eighteen anyway, which means I can live by myself," he insisted.

True, Minho was the one who encouraged her to live the way she desired, instead of being overly attached to Minho. He afraid that he may not be able to let go if he's grown too attached on people who doesn't deserve him.

"I have a boyfriend," he changed the topic. "He is very eccentric; dyed his hair blonde, wear mismatched clothes, but somehow rocking it in every pattern. I'm so jelly."

She chuckled. "Oh, really? I'm happy for the both of you then." Minho's mood suddenly changed. He knew she would accept him for who he truly is. However, experiencing the actual thing felt way better than expected.

"I'm more lucky though. I've never met such a nice person. Well, he uses violent language on daily basis, but he's actually very kind. I guess he's kind of quirky. Maybe he's trying to hide his insecurities with such attitude or maybe it's just his personality. One thing for sure... I'm whipped," he bragged like he's the proudest boyfriend ever.

"I'm so jealous..." she whined teasingly. "What's his name? I need to know his name since I'm planning to be your wedding organizer."

"Jisung." The corner of his mouth moved upwards just by breathing out that one name.

"That's a pretty name," she commented.

"I know you're trying to be nice and dandy, but isn't Jisung a very common name in Korea?"

"So is Minho."

"So that makes us a common couple." He laughed it out. "Auntie, I miss you, but I wish you to stay where you are now. Now I gotta buy cat food, so please excuse me." He glanced at the clock.

"Bye-bye, don't forget to send my love and affection to Soon-ie, Dong-ie, and Dori." The call ended shortly after. Minho stood up to grab his coat and went outside.

┉┉

The wind was breezing. His car was out of fuel, thus he decided to use his legs. It wasn't a long trip to the convenience store. However, it kind of felt like so due to electricity problem which occurred around the neighborhood.

He finished buying enough cat food and proceeded to walked back home. Nonetheless, he had absolutely no idea about what tragedy was ahead of him. He wasn't so lucky.

On his way, three unknown faces stepped on Minho's sandals, which resulted in him losing his balance and fell onto the hard concrete. His right cheek made contact with the uneven surface, while the cat food fell forward, near the stranger's shoes.

He felt like shit. It didn't took him long to regain his composure and stood back up, bowing to the three strangers in the most apologetic way as possible. Sometimes it's better to take the blame in order to run away from an unexpected situation. Especially when the strangers are two large men whose eyes looked like they've just smoked weed.

He was about to walked away when one of them pulled his shoulder to face them. Well shit.

"Hey," said the one with red locks. "Where do you think you're going?"

Minho scratched his nape. "Uhh... home?"

"Who said you can go home?" The red locks eyed him up and down. "Oh, look! It's you."

"You know me? Are you sure you're not mistaken by any chance?" Minho couldn't recognize the two of them.

Another guy, the one with Elvis Presley's hairstyle approached him from the side. "You're the guy from the news. The Han's boyfriend, aren't you?"

Minho gulped hard, his heart beat quickened. He thought the scandal was all about Jisung being gay without any evidence, yet somehow an Elvis Presley impersonation recognized him. Even so, what's his deal? It's not like Minho's doing them any harm.

Elvis lookalike laughed. "I'm not surprised if the Han's family are a bunch of gays, but I can't believe the only son of CEO-in-line chooses this sappy looking dude."

What the fuck.

The red locks which reminded Minho of gender-bent Ariel from The Little Mermaid added, "Ah, no wonder he likes you... you bought cat food. And everyone knows that Jumin Han love cats more than anything."

Minho didn't like where this is going, especially when the scent of liquor started to linger in his nostrils, climbing up to his head. They were definitely drunk and out of their senses, which made the situation more dangerous and also more difficult to commit a successful escape plan.

"So tell me, young man... did you purposely bought cat food to please Jumin Han? I mean you've captured his son's heart, and now what? You're gonna bring cat food to his house and give him a blowjob or something afterwards? Aren't you just another unsatisfied gold digger fag—"

"Stop!" Minho raised his voice. This was getting out of hand.

"So you got an attitude, huh? I know what's going on inside your sick head. You're taking advantage of Jumin's hatred towards women for your own pleasure. Then what? After you've gained all of that, you're gonna suck more dicks, am I right?" He was getting unstable. "I know you disgusting homosexuals are fucking sick!"

"Why are you dragging Jumin Han into this conversation? You have problems with him, don't you?"

"Bingo!" Elvis impersonation snapped his fingers. "This guy used to work in C&R company before Mr. Chairman retired. He was one of Jumin Han's subordinates."

Gender-bent Ariel nodded. "Us employees were divided into several divisions and I got to work under Jumin." His eyes were fiery. "I thought I was lucky to work under Mr. Chairman's son, especially knowing that I was the youngest employee that time. Despite I've been working my ass off while still also struggling with college assignments, Jumin was never satisfied with my reports."

"Well isn't it normal? Every employees have had their work rejected at least once in a lifetime."

Oh wow, he almost forgot that he was having a conversation with stronger looking strangers. Better not let his guards down.

"Yes, I thought so too. But then, I saw a tall looking guy with mint hair walking inside the office, approaching Jumin. I assumed him to be a guess or another client, yet he only gave him documents, praised him as a good cat owner he is, then left. I was weirded out, mostly because the documents were not arranged based on alphabetical order."

Elvis impersonation helped him finish the story. "Jumin Han is crazy when it comes to details. He wouldn't allow anyone to submit anything when it's not right in his eyes. And this mint haired guy somehow manage to do the most dangerous thing without being killed on his way out."

Minho tried to lighten their mood. "Maybe he's very dependable."

"No. I heard they were past lovers. That mint haired guy was no longer dating Jumin. In fact, he got himself a girlfriend." He felt his blood boil. "I bet he was still chasing that guy and caused more scandal. True, there were scandals. Those scandals caused me to lose my one and only job. He fired me without specific reason. He..." He hadn't even finish his explanation and the next thing Minho received was not an explanation, it was a punch on the face; a hard, sharp punch to his cheekbones.

They're absolutely drunk.

"Fucking gays! You guys are sick, SICK!" He landed another punch. This time's harder, slower, and more painful.

Minho would like to put up a fight, that's until the other guy kicked him to the ground. His body wat slammed once again to the rough concrete. Blood sputtering everywhere from his body. With Minho lying on the ground, they took this opportunity to release all their life burdens to Minho's helpless body. It's two versus one: a losing battle to Minho from the start. Not to mention they're freaking huge.

The two drunk men played pretense artists; roughly painting Minho's body with his own blood, giving him distasteful looks, and such. Basically treating him like a failed artwork.

The fight didn't last long. The moment they realized what kind of trouble they've caused, they ran away.

┉┉

"Come h-here... alone!" Then the voice disappeared.

"Minho, what happened?" Chunhua didn't waste anymore time. He told his his boyfriend: Jiwoo to give her a ride to Minho's location. Apparently Minho turned on his location for them to track.

Everyone in the house were fast asleep. She didn't dare to wake them up, not until it's been settled. It's been two months since she's officially became Hyunjin's sister, and the last thing she wanted was to worry his brother. (ik y'all probably forgot about this)

Chunhua and Jiwoo took a shortcut and arrived on time. The moment they found Minho, he was in a verge of entering his unconscious state.

"Oh my..." Chunhua took off his scarf and put it around Minho's legs. "Who would do this to you? Why didn't you call 911? Why me?" Chunhua's head was bundled with unanswered questions.

Jiwoo dialed the ambulance and the police. He then helped Chunhua treating Minho's wounds with whatever first aid treatment they could have done.

The ambulance arrived faster than expected. Though Minho began to lose consciousness, she could catch what his lips were trying to say. He breathed out Jisung's name before he finally lost consciousness. Then he was taken to the hospital.

Jiwoo was busy dealing with the police as they parted ways. Jiwoo went with his car to the police department, while Chunhua was heading to the hospital using the ambulance. She was puzzled.

It's been a while since Chunhua was able to decipher one of Minho's recapitulative statements. She knew Minho was bad stating what his heart says to him as much as figuring people's feelings.

Or perhaps it's just another Minho things? Even Minho knew about his two obvious weaknesses. Maybe Jisung was the only one to answer him. Not maybe—she's certain about this. He must be the answer.

Eventually she called Jisung. Deep down, she knew that it's time for Minho to fully embrace the true meaning of love that she wasn't able to give him during their time together. Minho taught her about love, but never received one. The word love was dead in Minho's dictionary, just like his parents. Minho deserved love, he deserved it so much.

And she's completely right, because as soon as Jisung's hand met Minho's, he said the word "I love you" without hesitancy. Not more, not less, just perfectly worded.

┉┉


	37. 36

"Is it legal for a man to marry his widow's sister?"

"No, Felix," Woojin demured. "But since he is dead it would be hard to do so."

Felix and the rest were all fascinated with Woojin's intelligence, although for Woojin, it's just a simple mind trick.

"Ooh, I have a better question!" Changbin rubbed his chin in a circular motion. "Will we ever have a definable form of measurement for the concept of 'truth?' You can't simply create judgment because of your own understanding, am I right?" Woojin could feel the pressure putted on his shoulder as Straight Kids' answering machine.

"Jeezuz crust, how many times do I have to tell him to not have sex with the darkness..." Chan mumbled in disappointment.

Changbin hissed, "Shut up, Crispy! I'm serious."

"Yeah yeah... and dinosaurs still exist."

Felix let out a cynical laugh. "Binnie boy, my love. Fear no more cause I have the answer for you."

"Oh no..." Jeongin was already concerned. Meanwhile, Changbin had been anticipating for Felix's answer. Ah, the thing we do for love.

"The only truth in this world is that there is no truth." Felix's gaze sharpened as he sparked out intelligence. "Anyone can become a god or a devil. All it takes is for people to believe it."

Silence grew broader as they were all dumbfounded by Felix's sudden intelligence. Tears almost flew down to their cheeks because the thought of Felix must've undergone major character development in some point of his life was fairly unbelievable.

Changbin was clouded with Felix's love. "F-felix, that was touching. I must admit-"

Felix cut Changbin's sentence off. "And that is a quote, not exactly from my brain." Dancing on his foot, he chirped, "So If I claim fifty sausages as my property, it's not a lie because I've claimed my ownership toward those fifty sausages. This is why you guys should look in a broader horizon and stop thinking about stealing my sausages."

"You really are something," Minho said, still lying on the hospital's bedroom.

It's been a day after Jisung was informed about Minho's condition, exactly a day after the emotional roller coaster. Everyone including Minho himself was beyond amazed to witness the fast recovery process.

Minho didn't have to undergo surgery or some sort of crucial medical treatment because the truth is that he's not severely injured. Yes, he's bleeding, scratched by the asphalt everywhere, had a consciousness, and whatnots. However, those wounds were treated first-handedly by Chunhua and then the people from the medical team in a proper way. In addition, Minho has incredibly strong bones, so it takes more than that to bring him down.

That's mainly the reason everyone could joke around, even Minho. They decided to not cause more worry and spread positive energy to support Minho's mental recovery. Though the contrast mood difference was kind of ironic compared to the day before. In fact, it was 180 degrees different.

The day before...

"Where is Minho?!" Chan's voice startled Minho and the rest of the people inside the room.

Jisung could spot all members of Straight Kids behind Chan, sweating like a wolf on mating season. Perhaps Chunhua contacted them before.

Chunhua stood up from her seat and headed toward their direction. "He's recovering, but I can ensure you that he's fine, probably needs companion."

"Oh, thank goodness." Everyone sighed in relief. At least they knew Minho didn't have amnesia.

Chunhua gave them a warm smile. "What took you guys so long? Traffic jam?"

Hyunjin yawned. "I have to pick them up from their houses because I know they all have bad sense of direction." His eyes landed on Felix, he snarled, "Plus, Felix house is way too far."

Jisung joined them. "I thought the road to Felix's house is on construction. How did you manage to get him?"

"Felix told us to wait for him on the main road. He said he'll come to us, so we waited." Seungmin shrugged. "We're about to go nuts and then we saw him racing on a bicycle."

Jisung narrowed his eyebrows in questioning manner. "Felix, I know you so well. I know you don't own a bicycle."

Felix choked on air. "Yeah, I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way, so I stole my neighbor's bike and asked God for forgiveness."

The atmosphere turned intense once again as they're all connected about Felix's future. Jisung, though, wasn't. He's Felix's best friend after all, the duo memelords.

"Bro!" Jisung exclaimed, patting his palm on Felix's back. "I am beyond proud. The devils must be shaking on their boots."

Chunhua smiled. At least Felix's stupidity truly lifted up everyone's moods. Not until Minho started groaning in pain again.

Back to present...

Jiwoo had informed Minho that the police officers would come to the hospital to interrogate Minho regarding the whole incident occurred the other night. Jisung protested that Minho needs more time for recovery, but Minho initiated himself that the faster they act, the result will be better as well.

Minho was pretty good at explaining the situation back then; from the process of buying cat food and how it leads him into this state. He told how those drunk people attacked him without mercy despite he had struggled to defend himself and his pride. Mostly because he was so mad at those people back, the rest were his sense of justice. His friends just listened in silence at the corner of the room.

"Do you remember their name or appearance?" asked the police officer.

Minho shook his head. "I have no idea who they were, but I can remember their faces very well."

"Very well." The police officer introduced Minho to another woman. "This is Kang Seulgi and she's gonna help you uncover the suspects."

"Pleasure to meet you, Minho." Seulgi gave him a gummy smile which Minho returned. "I am a police sketch artist. For the next hour I will be drawing the two suspects based on your description, so feel free to share them with me."

The first police officer left them. "Seulgi, I'll leave you with him. If you'll excuse me, I'll be going out now." Everyone muttered their thankfulness to the officer, then he left them.

Seulgi pulled out her drawing equipment. "Let's start on the first guy." She saw Minho nodded his head and continued, "how would you describe the shape of his face?"

Minho tried to remember the guy who resembled Elvis Presley. "He has a rounded chin and a soft jawline. Overall, he reminds me of Elvis Presley, but a tiny bit sharper," he explained. Seulgi only nodded as she began sketching.

"What about his eyes? Are they almond shape, round, downturned, wide-set, or something else?" Seulgi asked while sketching. Jisung and the rest were too mesmerized by watching Seulgi's sketching like she wasn't thinking.

Minho seemed to not understand basic names to define the shape of eyes, so he just went on based on his own knowledge.

"Far different from Elvis Presley's eyes."

The sketching process continued as planned. It's getting boring for everyone, thus they ended up sleeping on top of each other. They're like a big breakfast sandwich, but far tastier.

When Seulgi had finished sketching, she gently woke the tasty sandwich and asked them altogether whether they recognize or had possibly encountered either or both of the men shown on the drawing paper.

"Nope." They shook their heads in unison. It was such a shame that nobody seemed to recognize those men. Well perhaps because there are millions of people in this world and it's not possible to befriend the whole universe unless you're God or something.

Then it hit him, Minho suddenly flicked his two fingers. "The gender-bent Ariel told me that he used to work in C&R."

"C&R?!" Jisung slammed a nonexistent table due to the sudden wave of shock. "Fuck it! I need to call my dad and tell him to search that poisoned rodent." Jisung went frantic as he quickly tried to dial Jumin's number.

"No!" Everyone excluding Seulgi shouted in unison. Jisung's hand automatically stopped moving.

Woojin was the first one to break the awful tension. "Jisung, I know you're upset right now, but you should understand that your father can't possibly remember all his worker's faces, especially the ones who aren't working in the company anymore."

Chan agreed. "He's right. Your dad and my dad are pretty much identical. You know... the pragmatic types, bad sense of jokes, and pretty much uncultured."

"Wow... thanks for the compliment." Jisung tried to hold his urge to laugh because he's in a serious situation.

Felix joined in. "Didn't you say that your dad doesn't even remember Bambam's face after spending a month of business trip in Qatar?"

"Why don't you call someone who works under your dad or at least someone who probably knows the past workers' data?" Minho suggested.

Jisung could only think of one person, and that person is Jaehee Kang: Jumin's most loyal assistant.

"Jaehee, I need your help," stated the frantic teenager after hearing the call's been picked up. He quickly snapped each drawings carefully. Quickly but carefully.

"How can I help you?"

"I just sent you two pictures on messenger. Check it out and tell me if you know anything about them." Jisung put the call in loudspeaker so everyone including Seulgi can hear Jaehee's voice.

"Oh my God..." Jisung could hear Jaehee's voice trembling.

Jisung went panic. "What? What's wrong?"

Jaehee's voice softened. "One of them used to work here. He..." She sounded hesitant at first. "He used to harass many women in C&R's building... including me." Jaehee was completely traumatized, she was scared on admitting such unpleasant event.

Harass women? But Minho also said he's homophobic? Damn, the world is a scary place. The information truly overwhelmed Jisung and the others. Those rodents are still wandering around the world, possibly hurting more innocent people and escape afterwards. Where the fuck is justice?

"Can you tell me their names?"

"I don't know about the guy on the first picture, but the redhead is definitely Tom. I can ensure you that it's Tom."

"Tom?"

"Yes, Tom. His full name is Tomato Kim. I remember him very well." Seulgi immediately noted down the name 'Tomato Kim' on her phone.

"Okay, thanks. I hope you have a nice day." He hanged up the call only to be stared by everyone. Apparently, they shared the same mind.

What the fuck is a Tomato Kim?

┉┉


	38. 37

Apparently Tomato Kim is a person, a horrible person to be exact.

Ever since his identity had been made known to the public eyes, Jisung knew that relying on Jaehee was the best idea.

Unlike Jumin, Jaehee was full of consideration, and moreover, patience. Perhaps having her taking over this case was the best choice because of her past experience with this Tomato guy.

A horrible, disgusting liar. That's the content of Tomato Kim. Based on Jaehee's information and some other C&R employees, Tom used to flirt with all the women who worked in C&R at that time, including the most unapproachable Jaehee.

Most of them would quiver in fear as Tom slowly began his action. Well not for Jaehee. She wouldn't waver such flirtatious behavior during business hours. For that matter, he decided to exclude Jaehee from his 'to-do' list.

Later did she know that all the female workers had filed a complaint to the company an eventually resigned themselves. They were sexually harassed by that man, but too afraid to speak up because: One, they've already felt ashamed of themselves. Two, they were scared by the thought of Tom giving them a revenge. Three, they have no proof because Tom had never mark anything on their body, though he had marked them emotionally by humiliating their pride. And four, Tom worked in a high position, right under Jumin Han, which is intimidating.

Enough talking about ketchup, because now it's Minsung time, bitches.

┉┉

Too bad it's Monday again, too bad he had school, too bad he couldn't visit Minho due to those two statements. It's alright because he'll be discharged tonight. Besides, he got to take care of Minho's cats which he found awesome. Jumin, though, couldn't stop smiling just by seeing three beautiful cats inside the mansion.

It's crazy to think that the boy who used to despise cats are now so fond with them. Like a popular enemies to lovers fan fiction's trope, Jisung could write a whole ass fan fiction about his relationship with cats. Too bad nobody ships them.

During his long hours at school, Jisung and his friends had to bear with annoying teachers who wouldn't stop lecturing the students to not waste their time while the teachers themselves just wasted 45 minutes of their time to nag instead of teaching. Talking about ironic. Never he wished for the bell to ring more than today, especially when he had to witness Britney's irritating smug every time she had the chance to turn her head on Jisung's direction. Felix seemed to have noticed it too.

"Bitch, get a life," Felix murmured grudgingly. Too preoccupied in his world to realize that the entire class including the teacher heard him.

The English teacher, Ms. Handcock, suddenly stopped her nagging to stare at Felix's blank expression. The atmosphere changed quickly as Ms. Handcock slowly walked to Felix's seat. The sound of her heels echoed through the classroom, giving out the ASMR kind of feeling just to everyone's satisfaction.

Ms. Handcock crossed her hand, undoubtedly not pleased. "Felix, what did you say?" Her monotonous tone sent chills to Jisung's spine. He's the one who felt nervous when it's ought to be Felix's job, not him.

Upon hearing his own name being called, Felix eyes started to blink rapidly. "You can hear me?" He pointed his index finger to his own face.

"I'm not deaf. Felix, don't you think I didn't notice you zoning out in my class. I know you can speak English better than your friends, but I don't accept such negligent behavior in my class." She adjusted her glasses. "Out of my class! Now!"

Sheesh, she's on her period again.

"Really?" Felix's eyes widened as he heard those words. "Well then, see you later! What a beautiful day..."

He then jumped his way out of the class a little too happily for a student who had just been yelled at. But for a student like Felix, it was just another beautiful day. Surely Jisung and Felix has similar characteristics. They're both meme-like and good at comebacks. After all, they're the school's memelords, everyone knows that. Nevertheless, Jisung would always aspire to be like Felix; careless, smooth, and full of colors.

Guess I have to endure Ms. Handcock's class without Felix.

Unexpectedly everything else went well. During Ms. Handcock's class, he pretended so hard to be alive. Holding his eyelids before they fell, Jisung somehow manage to endure the overwhelming boredom. It was the last class, which means he could finally yeet himself out of the school's building.

When the bell started ringing, he stood up, dragging his friends out of the class.

"Oi, what's gotten into you?" Hyunjin forcefully pulled his hand out of Jisung's reach. "Why are you pulling us?"

"Let's visit Minho! I heard he will be discharged tonight." The excitement in Jisung's voice went evidently noticeable for them.

"Ohh.. about that." Hyunjin scratched his head nervously. "You see, I have dance club today. Besides, I've been skipping club activities for a while now, I can't skip anymore or else my mom would kill me. You can go by yourself."

"I see... then I'm just gonna go with Seungmin and Jeongin."

Seungmin panicked. "Actually Fox Army is having a praying session today. Lots of people are expecting me to lead the prayer. Yeah, sorry about that." Jisung saw him as he fiddled with his fingers. Strange, he thought.

"Y-yeah, sorry Hyung." Jeongin gave him an apologetic look.

"Why wasn't I informed?" was the only question that passed on his head. He couldn't exactly point out the reason why's the person who introduced him to this religion suddenly abandoned his existence as a believer.

Jeongin's face turned bright red. "We did. Perhaps Seungmin-hyung accidentally sent the announcement to the wrong number." He did it again, the mischievous cute smile. The smile that Seungmin had taught him million times. "Why don't you visit Minho-hyung yourself? We'll support his healing process with our prayers." And then they ran away.

Weird. Not only Seungmin's wrong number incident weirded him out, Jeongin's defensive act was also weird. Seungmin would never press the wrong number, Jeongin would usually denied this whole Jeonginism thing, Hyunjin would never be able in trouble for skipping club activities because of his achievements. He couldn't help but feel suspicious on why his friends were avoiding him. Even Felix hadn't returned from wherever he was.

"Christopheri—"

"Sorry, my parents are inviting me to an important family reunion. I must attend this reunion or else my parents will forcefully drag me into this stupid arrange marriage with this ugly beet root."

"Changbi—"

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well. Here! Why don't you let me lend my notebook to Minho while I'm resting and contemplating my poor life's decisions at the same time?"

"Woo—"

"Sorry, my pet platypus is sick. I'll see you later when my parrot can sing Hallelujah in falsetto while listening to My Chemical Romance."

"Chunhu—"

"Sorry, I have to babysit my father's old friend's son in law's neighbor's second sister's nephew's half brother. Just message me for good news, I'll be waiting."

This stupid chain of unavailability truly weirded him out. Regardless, he still need to visit Minho. He had been waiting all day for this moment: visiting Minho with his friends, yet his friends' absence made him somewhat nervous. He didn't know how to describe this feeling. Somehow he felt like meeting Minho for the first time again. Weird.

What a weird day. It would be nice if he was rewarded with good news after surpassing all the weirdness by himself.

┉┉

"Come in!"

With his head down, Jisung opened the door and headed to Minho's side. Pulling a chair near the hospital bed, he handed him a box of Macaroons Haute Couture. Minho thanked him in return.

As he indulged in the pricey macaroons, he asked, "How's my children doing?" Jisung knew that he was referring to his cats.

"Good. They're getting along with Elizabeth."

"Good for them." Minho smiles from ear to ear. A big ass genuine smile that would always make Jisung's heart flutter like a stupid lovesick teenager. "How are you?"

"Good." He let it slip from his mouth.

"Good, huh? Then will you maintain your good when I scratch your Louis Vuitton?"

"Absolutely not! This is LV's limited edition puffer jacket. I'll slice your hand if you want to commit such crime!"

Suddenly Minho's laughter erupted throughout the room. "You're nervous, aren't you? Come on, this is worse than our first encounter. Not really... I mean worse than our accidental first kiss."

"I'm not nervous." His hands were shaking on their own. "I'm slightly anxious of meeting you alone. You know... just the two of us. I guess it's been a while since we have a proper face-to-face conversation."

"Jisung." Minho put his hands around Jisung's shaking ones, gently caressing the anxiety away. "It's not your fault."

He shook his head in denial. "If I hadn't been so selfish, you wouldn't have had to experience such horrible incident. I was being selfish. I only cared about my reputation without trying to acknowledge your pain, your suffering, your loneliness. I was being ignorant. Like a slave to the internet, I'm as horrible as them."

Tears started falling from Jisung's eyes. How weird. It was their happy day, yet Jisung's mind was still clouded with guilt. A second ago, he was yelling about his precious puffer jacket. Another second, he was already crying, he was writhing in pain, as though Minho's pain was transferred to his body.

I deserve it.

Still holding Jisung's hand tightly, his lips instantaneously brushed onto the latter's palm. It was a simple move. So straightforwardly simple that Jisung was left dumbfounded by the situation. Somehow such simplicity could stop Jisung's tears from falling and relaxed him.

Narrowing their distance, Minho softly whispered, "Don't beat yourself up. Everyone was once ignorant. Those who are able to apprehend their behavior are the ones who wouldn't walk on the same path again. Knowing that you're feeling sympathetic toward me is more than enough. I appreciate that."

"But I don't know which path is right for me. I chose myself over you that time."

"There's neither the right path nor the wrong path." Jisung stared in silence as he let his hands be fondled by the older as he spoke. "Everyone has their own path. It may be cloudy, cold, or maybe rocky, but it's theirs. Same goes for you. Whichever road you're walking on, you can't avoid sorrow. Although your path may seem shady, just know that I'll walk next to you. You'll never walk alone because you're loved."

You never walk alone, huh? That sounds like Booties Sonyeondan's song, Jisung's mind wandered.

Jisung saw his reflection on Minho's eyes. Both were sparkling.

"If so, then I won't let you walk alone too because you're also loved." Their intertwined fingers began to unravel, longing for warmth. "You're so good with words, your words give me goosebumps. Man, what can I do to return your generosity?"

"Pet me," he ordered.

Jisung chuckled. "You're not my cat." He said that, yet his hand moved itself to Minho's head, petting very gingerly. In his mind, he started to understand on why his friends were acting so weirdly this afternoon. They had planned this scenario after all.

Minho and Jisung spent their time with small chit-chats which followed with laughter, then talked about their childhood, basically everything they've been itching to tell to one another. Too bad though, Minho had to study for tomorrow's exam.

Jisung had no idea on what kind of fuckery Minho was reading about. Still, he tried to help him by using Changbin's notebook.

"This part." Jisung pointed on a passage on Minho's book. "Changbin wrote in his notebook that this part will be on the test."

"Okay." Minho began to highlight the instructed passage. However, his hand continued moving until it reached Jisung's fingers, tinting them with a #CB67D60 colored highlighter.

Jisung was puzzled. "You know you're only supposed to highlight the important ones."

However, Minho continued to highlight his fingers, up to his entire arms. Thank goodness he had taken off his puffer jacket or he may get his ass whooped.

"Why would you do that?" He pulled his hand away before they got worse.

Blandly, he admitted, "Because you are important to me."

You smooth ass motherfucker, way smoother than DaySex's vocals.

Jisung was about to flirt as well before Minho decided to turn on the television. He was about to complain until he saw his father on the television screen.

"My name is Jumin Han, the father of Han Jisung. As his father, it pains me to see my son's face on the news and social media with such hateful comments. It's been long enough and after giving my thoughts, I've finally came to a conclusion that I should reveal what's needed for his sake." They could feel Jumin's intense aura.

"It's true. Just like what's written on the articles, Jisung is gay and he's in a relationship with another guy. For me, seeing him grow and finally coming out from his shell that the old me had created is the best thing only a father can witness..."

"... Jisung is currently walking on his own path and there's no need to be shameful to have a gay son. I'm beyond proud of him for his honesty and I would never hate my own son for being himself. Whether he's straight, gay, bisexual, a magician, or a tapestry, it's a father's duty to accept his own child because a child has never asked to be born. It's our responsibility to raise them properly as parents."

Jisung's body was completely frozen. He had been dreading but at the same time yearning for this moment to happen. It felt surreal, so surreal.

"However, I can't help but notice that many people are using Jisung's name on the headlines for their own pleasure. The news following Jisung's name are no longer valid and they have no proof, only hate speech. As his own father, I decline all news regarding to Jisung's actions and etcetera..."

Jumin hadn't even finished his speech, yet Jisung couldn't control his emotions anymore. He was relieved at last. He's stoked, grateful, thankful, and so on. Minho was right. After all, he's loved. So loved.

Being loved felt greater than being in love. He was certain. Essentially, humans are selfish beings. But selfishness is just another humanly trait that makes us more honest to ourselves. And Jisung was feeling it. He was over the moon.

What a weird day.

┉┉


	39. 38

"Sung-ie, are you sure about this?" Minho peeked his head from the restroom stall. "These wardrobes are overly expensive for my body."

Jisung snorted while washing his hands. "Don't worry. You look stunning in every clothes you wear, though I bet you'll look better without them."

"What?"

"What?" Jisung pretended like he never said such embarrassing statement. A big gummy smile was plastered on his face, notwithstanding the fact that he regretted his decision and blamed Felix for teaching him all kinds of knowledge which he thought would've come in handy, not randy like this.

"Nothing."

After he finished washing his hands and his forehead for the impurities they've done, he leaned closely to the other direction of the restroom stall, waiting for Minho to finish changing. Not even bothering to use the hand dryer because Eunwoo once told him that it's useless to use a hand dryer to dry our hands since the bacterias from our surroundings will fly back to our hands which make the whole cleansing absolutely inefficacious. He didn't want to use tissues too for better environmental protection by reducing waste disposal and nature-based products usage.

Jisung was in the middle of his vacuous stage until he heard Minho's voice from his back. "Sung-ie, I have absolutely no idea on how this things work."

From the opposite side of the door, Minho was busy wearing his top. It's supposed to look like a typical formal shirt beneath the outerwear, yet the process of wearing it seemed almost impossible for Minho. Never have he ever seen such an intricate design before his eyes.

Sighing, Jisung took a glance on his pocket watch. "I offered you Eunwoo's help, yet you rejected him. Come on, until this time Eunwoo is still helping me wearing my clothes and sometimes bathing me when I don't feel like moving my ass. There's nothing to be embarrassed of."

"But you grew up with him and I don't. It makes me uncomfortable to visualize your assistant staring at my penis in a public restroom." Minho made up an excuse though he knew that no one's gonna stare at his precious penis since he's only changing his outerwear.

"What a petty excuse." Jisung rolled his eyes. Then suddenly, an idea popped up in his head. "Hyung, why don't you let me help you instead?"

"Uh, what?" Minho's tone sounded like a disagreement. However, his hands moved without consent, unlocking the door to let Jisung's back fell backwards to his embrace. The next thing he remembered, Jisung's hands were busy fiddling with his clothes. Slowly covering his bare chest as he buttoned up his shirt. At first he was a little embarrassed but as time went by, he's starting to get used to it.

On the other line, Jisung was far beyond the word 'calm'. He may have looked so, but truthfully, he's trying to keep his composure by not attempting to roam his eyes over Minho's body. He tried to pull off the Jumin's face, although it was an epic fail. Thank goodness, Minho was oblivious as shit which can be both beneficial and depressing at certain circumstances.

Jisung secretly stole a kiss the moment he was done dressing his boyfriend. Minho yelped in surprise for a second, then returned the kiss to the kiss giver. They were both so happy, Minho swore that he can turn into a furry at any second.

"M'kay, lessgo eat some fancy three-star Michelin shit. There's this one menu called Sea bass with prawn tortellini, fennel purée and white wine sauce and it's damn good!" Jisung had practically took control over Minho's body, more like the older had given up resisting due to his crippling headache by hearing expensive-sounding dishes he's about to devour later on. Jisung just continued babbling, "Oh my Jeongin! I just remember that they also serve the most delicious spiced fruit brioche in the world of brioches."

The poor boy Minho whose body felt completely lifeless could only sit at the back of Jisung's car that's taking them to a fancy restaurant nearby. Everything felt like a roller coaster ride, except the rails are on fire and everyone's dead, so he got no one else to blame.

During his nights at the hospital, he was happy because Jisung was there to support him. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that he wanted to lay on his bed and sleep with every position his body desires. Howbeit, Jisung had already planned a dinner with Minho and Jumin in a three-star Michelin restaurant and Minho couldn't help but agree if that would make his squirrel happier in a way.

I'm gonna meet Jumin Han! OMG! I'm so happy but damn you, nerve systems!

"We're here." He could hear Eunwoo's voice from the front. Preparing for the worst, he took a deep breath and exited the car with Jisung, hand-in-hand as they were met with Jumin afterwards. They have been dating for a couple of months, yet they already acted like a married couple.

"Good evening." Minho looked up to see Jisung's father and damn it, he's whipped.

Cold piercing eyes, matched with a warm smile; not too big, not too little as well. Standing in approximately 185 cm (6'1"), though his calculation could be wrong, Jumin was a tall man with beautiful facial features whose body is structurally well-defined, perfectly ideal. If he's not in love with Jisung, he would probably rooting for his father, although he quickly brushed those stupid thoughts away in fear that someone might labeled him as the 'weird guy'. Of course he's not romantically in love with Jumin, he was just admiring his presence alongside with his unbelievably not-so-stoic first impression.

Oh boy, he did not just forget to reply. "Good evening, Mr. Han." He bowed a little too formally. Can't blame him, though. Blame the nerve systems. "It's an honor to finally meet you in person." Somehow Jumin has different vibes in person when he's compared with the Jumin Han on television.

Jisung let out a cheery laugh. "No need to be so formal. My father is just an ordinary cat-loving freak."

"Well then... nice to find a fellow cat-loving freak." Jumin and Minho laughed together while Jisung felt his smile spreading. Watching his father getting along with his lover sure is satisfying.

Much like Jisung's words, the foods were delicious. He couldn't remember how many tortellinis he had ordered, but he couldn't care less. Who knows a dinner with your loved ones would feel this amazing.

Again, Jisung felt like he had uncovered another side of his father, a better one. "By the way, thanks... Dad." Jisung put his head down as he said the word 'Dad'. Ever since his mother's absence, Jisung would usually use the name 'Jumin' instead of 'Dad' whenever he's calling his father. It felt weird to call him 'Dad' again, but he's willing to try again. Perhaps restarting his own mindset towards Jumin wouldn't be as troublesome as he first thought about it.

Jumin only replied with a 'proud dad' face. "No need to thank me. It's my responsibility to defend my own child and you deserve it."

Minho tried to hold his tears upon watching the father and son interacting with each other. Oh, how he missed having his parents by his side. Too bad he can't rewind time, but at least he's happy enough to be a part of someone else's happiness during those times. There's nothing more valuable than watching your lover going through some sort of development and eventually show his other side that's been buried all these years: the more affectionate, delicate part of Jisung. Minho found it adorable.

It's been a while since Minho felt his eyes sparkling. Needless to say, it was a blessing to have his eyes locked on someone as beautiful as Jisung. (damn it Minho, you need a mirror)

"Lee Minho, I believe we've met before." Jumin plastered a welcoming smile to the latter. "Perhaps I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Jumin Han and I'm more than delighted to share this satisfactory dinner with my most beloved son and the person who makes his world beautiful."

The mentioned boy was stiffed as a board, hence Jisung felt the need to melt the ice between them. "Dad, remember the three cats that I brought home a couple of days ago?" Jumin nodded, thus he continued, "Those cute cats are Minho's."

"I see... those cats are indeed very cute, especially when they're attempting to pull a prank on Elizabeth the 3rd. They seem very lively together."

Minho's breath hitched. "T-they what?"

"They're getting along with Elizabeth the 3rd. If both of you are planning on getting married, then it's not too early to start thinking about building a decent cat house inside the house." Jumin clasped his wine glass as he sipped his red wine in elegance.

"Us? Married? Mmmf mff mmf mmfff mmff..." Jisung and Minho said at the same time while having their mouth filled with tortellinis.

The dinner was indeed very delightful. The dishes were great, the atmosphere was nice, the tension was slowly fading away between them. From awkward conversation to a wholesome chinwag. The topics kept flowing without direction and it's still going.

"Hyung, if you have to choose between vampires and werewolves, which one would you pick?" Jisung put his hand on his chin in a judging manner.

Minho answered without thinking, "Vampires. They have fangs and they're hot." Jisung didn't look very proud of his boyfriend, though.

"Werewolves are also hot," he deadpanned. "Vampires are overrated."

Jumin suddenly joined the conversation. "You should not disregard vampires." He took a sip of red wine before continuing his argument. "They are not bound by lifespans but live forever. So you could say they have transcended mankind. Though... I'm sure they got vampiric side effects in return."

"You're such a party pooper." The blonde showed his tongue then creating buzzing sounds while having his tongue out.

"Well then, I guess you're one of those poops that managed to escape and now sitting before me."

Jisung felt uncomfortable with the merging topic. However, Minho seemed like he's not. "When I first met Felix in the dance club, he told me that babies are made from the finest quality of poop. Of course I didn't believe him. I already posses far greater knowledge than him as his upperclassmen, then he Naruto ran over my body and fly-kicked me."

"Oh crap, I'm sorry. He's very terrible at first impressions." Felix why? His mind failed to register his best friend's stupidity.

Jumin looked at his watch and realized that it's getting really late, they should've gone home by now.

"Sorry to ruin the mood, unfortunately it's time to go home. Minho, we would be glad to spend another time with you. Perhaps we could have dinner or any type of occasion with your family," Jumin suggested, definitely not familiar with the situation.

Jisung panicked, "Dad, I haven't told you that his—"

"Of course. My family would be more than thrilled to do that," he cut Jisung's sentence before he could finish telling the truth. Not that he wanted to disappoint anyone, he just wanted to pretend that his parents are still alive.

To be honest, sharing a quality time with his family and his lover's family had been one of his unachievable dream of a lifetime. So at least he could dream again after knowing that it's been shattered down to pieces. He was basically perceiving himself.

"Minho—"

"Let's go home, shall we?" A fake smile was again plastered on his face. Jisung had spent his time, trying so hard to delete that stupid fake smile on his face and replace it with a genuine one. Yet again, Minho was fake-smiling. It's like having his group project being destroyed by Elizabeth the 3rd.

Minho was about to stand up until Jisung caught his hand. "Don't go," he pleaded, voice soft as a whisper as his grip grew tighter. "Stay with me tonight."

"You know I can't."

"Yes, you fucking can. I want you to stay with me tonight." He looked up to Jumin's direction. "Can we?"

Jumin only nodded in agreement. "Yes, you can."

His eyes traveled back to Minho. "Don't you dare leave my sight with that face. I'm warning you."

┉┉


	40. 39

"There are like six unmanned bedrooms, so feel free to choose whichever you like." Jisung showed Minho each bedrooms while Minho could only stare in awe.

Each bedroom has their own charming point; one has a better view, while the other has bigger mattress. This is the first time Minho had ever felt so torn and so poor at the same time.

Still stuck in his own mind's confusion, a hand brushed on his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. It was Eunwoo's hand, and boy, he was smiling widely, it scared the shit out of Minho.

Lowering his body, he whispered a little too loudly, "Why don't you share a room with Jisung? His bed is big enough for the both of you."

"Huh—what?!" Minho and Jisung whispered-yelled in unison.

"You heard me, lovebirds." Eunwoo gave the two his 'come-on-don't-be-shy-I-know-you-guys-are-whipped-for-each-other-so-you-two-better-stop-hesitating-and-sleep-together' look, although Jisung was the only one who can decipher Eunwoo's ambiguous expression.

"But—"

"No buts, motherfucker. I only accept butts." Eunwoo turned on his sassy queen mode (influenced by Bambam's queen behavior). His fingers were busy twirling the keys. His movements are so professional, thanks to his fingering ability. "Jisung, you don't know how it feels like to clean multiple rooms, do you? Don't you pity all the house workers?"

"Eunwoo, I am your boss," he deadpanned.

"Oh, come on Karen, you won't ever fired me even if I act like a lil' missy because you can't live without me." Eunwoo flipped his bangs, already pushing the two high schoolers to Jisung's bedroom. Jisung swore he could hear The Eve by SEX-O playing on the background, and the scariest thing is that the song didn't fit the situation. It made it worse.

Eunwoo was right. After all, he couldn't live without his butler-like assistant. He couldn't pinpoint whether his relationship with Eunwoo is considered platonic, brotherly, or otherworldly anymore.

Eunwoo is that kind of guy who would babysit you like you're his little baby, play with you like that one neighbor's kid, assist you in a professional manner, but also act like that one friend who promised you not to tell your secret and then pushed your body right to your crush's face, creating a whole kdrama scene. One thing for sure, all the naughty sides of Eunwoo are mainly caused by his dear Jisung.

"Umm..." Minho forcefully stopped Eunwoo's movement. "Actually, I was thinking about going outside."

Jisung placed a hand on his chin. "We have a garden. Do you wanna go there?"

"You have?!" Minho couldn't believe his ears. Damn, I got myself a sugar teddy. "I mean sure." He would never get used to this privilege.

"Follow me." Minho nodded and trailed behind the blonde. From behind, Eunwoo was making various expressions that would disgust the couple. Slowly, their traces were getting far away until it disappeared.

"They are so gonna get married. Screw it, I better look good for their marriage."

┉┉

Staring at the same dark sky, the couple positioned their arses on the wooden bench, not on each other's lap, not yet.

Dark. The sky was dark, but it was beautifully dark. Minho began to understand Changbin's obsession. Below the dark sky, colorful splatters decorate the emptiness. From dark red to the shade of fuzzy lime-colored spheres, the garden looked like those gardens in paintings. In Minho's eyes though, the prettiest artwork was lying on his shoulder.

"This place is beautiful." Minho killed the silence, eyes perking on his boyfriend, gently stroking the blond locks, muttering, "But not as beautiful as you."

Choking on air, the younger proceeded on scrunching his nose. "Yo, why do you have to act Felix's cheese sticks." His comments kind of ruined the romantic atmosphere, not like they care about it. Kings don't need Goblin OST on the background to interrupt their moment.

Suddenly, the softest fur ball crashed on Jisung's feet. The boy's ass leaped a little in the process. He looked down only to be met by Elizabeth the 3rd's big blue eyes.

"Elizabitch, you never learn." Jisung picked up the cat, then placed her on his thighs. "How did you get here?" he asked the cat, though his question remained unanswered.

Minho couldn't help but chuckled with the sight in front of him. Well, more like beside him. Jisung with a cat in a garden full of flowers. God, how he wished to have captured this ethereal moment in a photograph and put it inside his transparent phone case, so the world would know how much he loves the boy named Han Jisung.

"Hey, Jisung." The mentioned boy quickly switched his attention to Minho. Hearing his name being spoken instead of his pet name 'Sung-ie' surely caused him to give his attention to Minho.

"Yes, Hyung?"

"Do you remember our first kiss?" Minho abruptly asked.

Not having any clue where this conversation would flow, he responded, "The snicker kiss? How can I ever forget about that." He glared at Elizabeth the 3rd, added, "this bitch and your cats are the culprit. We better thank them."

Minho freed his laughter. "It's funny to think that we wouldn't be what we are now without the cats. Well, to be honest, it all thanks to Felix. After all he was the one who thinks what we'd make a cute couple."

"His freckles are indeed magical." Jisung recalled every time Felix managed to predict every situation. "But we also work together to reach this destination. Never forget that we can't be us without U."

Minho took Elizabeth the 3rd from Jisung's lap and placed her on his thighs. "All the hard work we've done. Life is so hard."

"And so is my dick."

"What?"

"Never mind." Jisung's cheeks flushed in beet red once again. Stop saying weird things! He cursed under his breath, regretting every words.

They stayed silent for a while to calm their tits down. It was Elizabeth the 3rd's purring that continuously distracted their train of thoughts.

Coming back to his senses, Jisung figured that now's the perfect time to discuss what's been bugging him for a long time.

"Hyung." They stared at each other's eyes before continuing, "why do have cats?"

"Huh?" Minho was a bit startled upon responding to Jisung's question. "My Auntie gave them as a present." He petted Elizabeth the 3rd's head while thinking about his cats who were sleeping inside the mansion.

Jisung felt unsure as he asked a simple "Really?" to Minho. He didn't mean to push the older, but his words are like toothpaste; once the content is out, there's no going back. What's said cannot be unsaid. It can only have purpose if someone allows it to.

Minho was taken aback. Perhaps he shouldn't lie anymore; not to Jisung and not to himself. At least that's what he's thinking.

"N-not really..." he said, stuttering. "I was just so lonely back then..."

"... so your cats are given to you with the sole purpose of replacing the feeling of lost? Is that so?" Jisung and Minho stayed silent for a second before Minho could react.

"How do you know?" His eyes widen in surprise. Jisung calmed the older by placing his warm hand on Minho's already warmed ones. Slowly their fingers connected the way their hearts are.

"It's just a silly thought. Perhaps you and my dad are so much more alike than what I thought firsthand."

"So I'm your father now?" Again, Jisung was beyond pissed with Minho's density, but guess what? He's about to break some walls and we're not talking about the fourth wall, nor the iron wall. We're talking about Wall Maria. 

"Do you know why I used to hate cats?" Minho hadn't had the chance to answer. "It's because I'm jealous. Elizabitch received more attention than me, thus I despise her with all my life... but you know what? It's all in the past now."

"I can't see any correlation—" He was cut off again.

"I kinda understand why my dad acted that way." He rested his head on Minho's shoulder again. "Pouring his love toward Elizabitch was his way of grieving. He can't move on, believing that his dear wife is still by his side. Truth is, she isn't. That's why he was being all lovey dovey with Elizabitch like she's her wife."

"But it can't be replaced because Elizabeth is a cat," the latter continued his sentence. When he saw Jisung's smiling at him, he knew that he was right. He had been thinking about this too for a while.

"My mother gave him Elizabitch before she's gone MIA. She gave him a cat to accompany him, giving him subtle signal of her farewell." Jisung had finally finished his story.

"That's... sad." Minho couldn't find the appropriate word to describe this new information he's given.

"Hyung, they're dead." Jisung's hand find his way to Minho's cheek, wiping out fresh tears. "Your cats are not your parents."

Minho felt his heart ache in every minute. Jisung was only stating the truth and Minho was having a hard time believing what's real since he's still stuck in between times. Unable to differentiate reality and fantasy. It was a hell he created himself, thinking he had created paradise. In the end, the truth always hurt like hell. However, it shows you a glimpse of paradise: a satisfaction.

"Move on."

"I can't!" His tears wouldn't stop falling.

"You can," he reassured.

"It's not that easy!"

"I never said it was easy." Intertwining their fingers, Jisung carefully placed their connected fingers on Minho's chest. "You have to keep going forward. Despite all the circumstances, they're always here... in your heart, so you don't have to be sad because it will make them sad as well."

"How?" He used his free hand to gripped their connected hands a little to hardly. "How am I suppose to move forward?" His voice sounded so weak, it shattered Jisung's heart.

"With me."

"Huh?"

"Open your eyes, Hyung." He planted soft kiss on his side. "I used to close my eyes too, and then I realized that I have Jumin, I have Eunwoo, Bambam, Felix, Straight Kids, other dumbasses, and I have you. It might sounds ridiculous, but trust me, the world looks more beautiful when you have surpassed the clouds."

"I wish I can see that too." They looked up, diving into the abyss.

"Chunhua told me that you're a nice guy. You gave her an umbrella when it's raining. You make her world more colorful. Despite she's not yours anymore, she said she's always praying for you, so that you can find someone who would give you an umbrella like how you gave people your umbrella."

Hearing his past being mentioned surely put him off guard. He never thought about it until now.

Suddenly it hit him. Everything made perfect sense. It was Jisung. Jisung was that guy who gave him his umbrella during his rainy days. The person that Chunhua had been praying this whole time is Jisung.

Again his tears took control over his face. Smiling, he stared at Jisung's glassy iris.

"I'm glad it's you."

Jisung couldn't help it anymore. Swiftly he moved his head closer to Minho. His hands were both on his cheeks, wiping all the tears away as his lips slowly kissing Minho's salty ones.

They were being extra careful, remembering that Elizabeth the 3rd was still sitting on Minho's lap. Minho returned the kiss as he cupped his hand on Jisung's face, then gradually traveled to his hair, ruffling each strands as the kiss went deeper, slower, more tender. It felt like their first kiss all over again.

Jisung was the first to broke the kiss for some air. Their eyes met in the process, both were sparkling. They had never felt so alive. That kiss they shared was a sign of their rebirth as new people; still with the same heart. However, the walls were broken down. Now their scars are visible, waiting for the time to kill the sorrow and eventually heal the wounds.

Jisung placed soft kisses on Minho's knuckles. One by one, he made sure to make the older happy. "Hyung, I wanna walk with you under the rain. It's not about who's giving an umbrella to whom, it's about us. I wanna feel the rain with you just as much as I want to see the rainbow with you."

"I don't like the idea of getting ourselves drenched on purpose." Minho lowered his voice. "Let's make our own umbrella and walk together. This time I promise to open my eyes."

And so he did. It wasn't easy at first. Seeing life from a whole new perspective surely felt satisfying. Minho looked at the sky. He stared at every object on the endless sky. Many stars, a bright moon, city lights, flying objects. All of a sudden the sky looked way different than how he saw it before. It's way different.

The sky wasn't so dark after all.

"Bambam?!" Jisung yelled upon seeing a ghostly figure behind one of the plants. The mentioned guy began to show himself soon after.

Bambam approached the two, more like Minho. "I've captured a beautiful picture of you two with Elizabeth the 3rd in the garden beneath the moonlight. This is something that you should put inside your transparent phone case." Bambam handed him a photo just as he described then left without goodbye.

┉┉


	41. 40

Morning couldn't be any better for Jisung, knowing that he can walk outside his jail-like mansion with his head up high as he stepped to the school's hallway. Especially when Minho was right beside him.

Minho wondered on how the hell did the house workers prepared his school's stuff. He woke up with a uniform and his backpack before his eyes, though Jisung said that they told his people to barged into his house beforehand, which then followed by a series of apology. It's not like he had the time to be angry when he's having an exam that day.

The couple parted ways as they headed to their respective classroom. Jisung had a smug on his face which quickly vanished due to a sudden disturbance by his ringing phone.

Sighing, he groped the buzzing phone and put it on his right ear. He didn't bother to look at the caller's ID.

"Moshi moshi, bitch. This ain't your typical Pizza Hut delivery number, so what kind of foodie business are we having?" He walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, his free hand was busy slapping his thigh for no particular reason.

"01101000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111!" A familiar robotic voice greeted him from the other line, much to Jisung's surprise.

He tried to guess. "Seven?"

"Bingo!" Seven let out a satisfied chuckle. "You're a smart kittie. No wonder Minho meows your name on his sleep."

Jisung ignored him. "I thought you're never gonna call me again."

"Promises are not my thing. Eh, by the way I have a message for you before you step into your classroom."

His legs automatically stopped moving. "What is it?" he asked.

"You're a free person now. You don't have to worry about that bitch anymore. In fact, she's not going to your school anymore," he announced. Jisung's mind immediately thought of Britney.

"You're behind this, aren't you? When my dad said those words on TV, you helped him gather all the informations, right?"

"Ohh! You're smart. Jumin can't do anything without his hacking slave and I need money after all, so it's a win-win." He explained while petting his robot cat. "However I can't do that without the help of your friends, especially the one with four phones and the one with anime lock screen."

Four phones? Anime lock screen? Jisung's mind wandered. His mind immediately traveled to Seungmin and Felix inside the classroom. They were staring at him, probably wondering on why hasn't he step inside the classroom.

"Earth to Jisung!" Seven called. "Why are you... never mind. Tell Jumin to send me more money, also send my love to Ellie!"

"Wait—" Before he could say another word, the call had already ended without a trace. The call history was deleted, thus he had no option but to walk inside the classroom.

Somehow the class felt so heavenly. He could feel the angels swarming around his classroom as Britney was nowhere at sight. Even Walmart looked way happier than usual.

Felix attempted to bro-hugged him. However, Jisung dodged the surprise attack on reflect. In the end, Felix fell on the floor with his butt sticking out his back.

Upon realizing his own action, Jisung hurried to check on Felix's condition. "Oh my Jeongin, what have I done?!" The blonde quickly bro-hugged his fellow meme-bro while silently muttering Lucifer's name multiple times in attempt to resurrect his best friend.

"I'M ALIVE!" The whole class faked an amused 'wow' as they clapped their hands in unison. Standing up, Felix walked to the teacher's spot, shouting out loud, "Congratulations, Jisung!"

Jisung followed Felix's footsteps, replying, "Thank you, ladies and gentlegay! I wouldn't be able to stand here confidently without the help of my dad, his slaves, and my beloved Straight Kids. Especially my bro Felix and Straight Kids' spy: Seungmin."

Felix and Seungmin wiped their happy tears. They were indisputably the students who were emotionally engaged with this activity for the past few days. Jisung was happy to have them both as their friends.

Felix took Jisung's spotlight as he announced, "I have one more good news." He unfolded a piece of paper, saying, "Today Fox Army has three new members. As a representative from this sacred cult, I am honored to announce that our homeroom teacher: Mr. D, also our precious classmate: Walmart and Chunhua as a part of Fox Army. In behalf of our lord Yang Jeongin and Fox Army's founder, Kim Seungmin, we shall celebrate this victorious news with a toast. Today's celebration toast will be led by our senior, Bang Chan in Straight Kids' base camp. Thank you for your attention."

Loud claps erupted throughout the classroom. Felix was indeed the best candidate for Fox Army's future host after Woojin graduated high school. Time surely flies. The next thing they knew, it was already the last period. Everything went by in a flash.

┉┉

Hearing the ambient chime signifying the end of the badly lead class, Jisung stretched in his seat, rubbing his eyelids in hopes of wiping his lingering drowsiness away. School surely is the best place to sleep.

The moment he opened his eyes, his vision began to clear. Right in front of was Chan, scrunching his nose like a disappointed father. Jisung was not pleased with the sight in front of him.

"Christopherina..." A yawn escaped his mouth. "What do you want?" The disappointment in his voice went unsurprisingly noticeable for the latter.

"Toast," he answered, eyes rolling dramatically. Without further notice, the older picked up Jisung's body and dragged him to his car. He was about to protest until he saw his backpack being thrown to his front as the others laughed happily.

It seemed like Chan's going to take them to Straight Kids' base camp for Fox Army's celebration party. Well, he was right. To tell the truth, Chan was about to lead everyone to Straight Kids' base camp since not many people knew the address. However, Jisung failed to notice four other cars behind Chan's car which filled with the member of Fox Army.

Surrounding him was none other than the rest of Straight Kids' member. He couldn't possibly mistaken their presence despite he didn't even glance at his surroundings.

"We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship, zooming through the sky... Little Einstein!" The first years sang happily before Chan harshly cut them off.

"I think I might die soon." Jisung landed his head on Woojin's shoulder that happened to be right next to him. As long as it's not Chan's shoulder, he's fine. Perhaps Changbin's hatred toward Chan had gotten inside Jisung's body as well.

"Sung-ie, don't say that." Minho gently stroked Jisung's blonde locks from the back seat. Upon noticing Minho's presence, the younger pulled Minho's hand downwards, then carefully planted soft kisses on each fingers. His fingers felt so soft on his lips, he swore he just tasted paradise.

True, Jisung may be a knuckleheaded teenage boy with a lot of money, thanks to Jumin. But when it comes to love, he can turn into a baked marshmallow. He would turn 180 degrees and become the softest boyfriend alive, even softer than TWOTEEN's concept. He solemnly swore to protect his boyfriend from all kinds of danger and prevent him from all issues, including financial issues.

Felix barged in from the passengers seat. "Yeah, don't die cause you're my bro. If I die, you're dying with me! So you can't die now, cause I still wanna rob a bank before I die with you."

"Hell yeah! Then we become the Vikings and chop people's heads off if they're trying to interrupt our journey as we sail to Scandinavia." Jisung stupidly encouraged Felix as he high-fived his meme-bro, chanting, "Valhalla, here I come!"

"Don't encourage him," Woojin whispered to Jisung's ear. "You can continue sleeping on my shoulder. We can't let Felix show his other side like how he did it on Britney."

Jisung's sleepiness abruptly vanished by that one name.

"Hold it, Miranda. What the heck did you guys do to that bitch? Please tell me cause I don't wanna let this good news slip away from my anus." Jisung eyed Woojin up and down while Woojin was still confused on why did he was addressed as Miranda by the younger.

Woojin had no choice but to story-tell. "It all began with an unexpected meeting... "

"By the way, I read a really cringe-worthy smut yesterday where the dom killed the sub because the dom is sexually aroused with corpses," Felix said randomly while munching a sausage in his mouth.

Hyunjin sighed. "Felix, I told you not to bring up weird subjects when we're eating."

Seungmin joined in. "Yeah, especially when it's necrophilia-related subject."

"Come on, guys." Woojin paid for their meals as they headed for another round of street food hunting while casually indulged in idle gossip ever so often.

"Yeah... whatever you say, parents." He spoke with emphasis, eyes rolling to the back of his head. "It's for future references—holy cows, it's Britney bitch." His index finger moved forward.

The three automatically followed Felix's finger's direction which landed on a girl who never got tired of being unbearably annoying.

"What do you want?" Seungmin hissed at the girl in front of him. She had that bemused look on her face, contrary to their somewhat amused grin.

Britney flipped her Rapunzel-like hair. "Fuck you. I hate y'all."

"Motherfuquer," Felix cussed, eyebrows furrowed. "I speck baguette, bitch."

Woojin deeply sighed. "I don't think you have business with us anymore, so now would you please kindly, harshly, fuck off?"

Seungjin and Felix were both bewildered by the sudden character change from the older. He was usually the one to prevent people from cussing, but now he's the one cussing.

"Whatever, I'm not going to that stupid ass school any longer."

"Good for you."

"Shut up, you gays are so annoying."

Hyunjin's tantrum had arisen. "Say one more thing and I'll fucking stab you with a spoon and scoop your balls."

"Hyunjin, she doesn't have balls," Woojin kindly reminded the angry ball of visual god.

Meanwhile, Felix literally shoved a large uneaten sausage to Britney's mouth in attempt to choke her to death. If Woojin didn't retreat Felix's hands fast enough, she would most likely die and they would be accused for third degree murder.

Both Seungmin and Hyunjin had their hands on Felix's side to prevent him from being charged with homicide. Britney silently cried in fear as she ran away from them.

"DECEASE YOURSELF!" The Aussie yelled before Woojin had to forcefully knocked him down with his signature Kendo move. It was for the best, or so he said.

Jisung butted on with indignation. "Wait, hold up. You almost kill my bro when we're supposed to die together. What the actual fuck?"

"Exactly, Bro!" Felix clicked his fingers. "How rude of them to kill me without any warning. At least they should inform you first, so you can die with me too."

"Birds of a feather flock together." Woojin let out an exasperated laughter. They're first and foremost idiots with good looks.

Minho silently laughed in amusement. Knowing the braver, more self-sacrifice side of Jisung surely entertained him. It was nice to see the people he treasures the most, laughing at meaningless jokes altogether.

Jisung was right, time heals the sorrow.

"Oi, get your asses out my car." Chan alternately stared at the eight boys inside the car. "It's party time."

"Yeah!" They all yelled in unison.

"No, we're not gonna play spin the bottle nor truth or dare."

"Awww!" The disappointment in their voice was real.

"Shut up. Now get out!"

┉┉

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, it's party time ᕦ(Ò_Óˇ)ᕤ !!


	42. 41

"No, Hyunjin." Seungmin snatched Hyunjin's drink and gave it to Changbin. "We're not gonna drink and made stupid decisions."

"Come on," he whined. "It's different than the stalker or pedophiles stories you've often told me."

Seeing the couple acting like an underage married couple they were, Jisung stood between them, literally stopping their little couple fight because he's the man.

"Come on, guys. This is a sacred celebration party, so we must push our arrogance away and accept our fate as Jeongin's believer because once you Jeongin, you can't Jeongout."

"Acceptable," said the whole fandom.

The whole base camp was filled with the Foxers which is basically the official nickname for Fox Army's member (which also stands for Fox Boxers, though some people simply referred them as Jeongin's believer). To Jisung's surprise, the rusty building was able to fit so many people without making them feel cramped. Perhaps Chan had expanded the building's territory with whatever's land lord he had to deal with.

Last time Fox Army had their gathering, Jisung was absent because he was visiting Minho at the hospital and holy cows, he surely had missed several other recruitment ceremonies during all those times since he had somewhat lost contact with Fox Army's manager. He was certain that Seungmin had changed his phone number for whatever's reason.

Little did he know that the whole NCT unit was part of the Foxers. It was a bewildering fact since NCT was known as the most popular friend group in the school. They even had a fan base. Of course, people seemed to be intimidated to interact with NCT just by seeing their numbers. They're so many of them, they could form a nation.

Jisung gasped. "Holy shit, the nipples are one of us now..."

"NCT in the house, bitches!" announced the self-proclaimed leader, Lee Taeyong himself as they entered the building in all black. Jisung gotta admit, they surely killed the entrance. That shit was epic.

A hand flung its way to Jisung's shoulder. He let out a stupid sound from his mouth as he felt his heart's about to jump out from his chest. He sniffed at the person who seemed to not know the idea of personal space. And boy... that hand smelled like pork belly.

"Whaddup, mothertrucker!" A familiar voice startled the blonde. That pork belly hand surely belongs to Park Jisung. "Guess who's just got out from prison?"

"Yo, copycat!" He fist bumped the younger, resulting his fist to have pork belly's scent. "Let's have a duel. Whoever wins shall slap the loser's balls," he rashly declared.

Jisung didn't even have the time to fight the other Jisung as per usual due to Minho's strong grip. He's basically dragging his Jisung away from the other Jisung with ulterior motive.

Unlike Minho, Jisung wasn't plainly oblivious. He could already feel the jealousy aura sparking over Minho's body. It made him happy for a reason.

Minho crossed his hand, a bemused frown was all that he shown. "Sung-ie, I don't think getting your balls slapped is the wisest choice at this point."

"Are you saying that I'll lose to that wimp?" Jisung pointed toward Park Jisung who seemed to be busy chucking another batch of pork belly into his mouth. "Don't say that you're jealous because I'd either get my balls slapped or slapping other people's balls instead of yours?" He scanned through his boyfriend's expression, totally not surprised with his reaction.

Minho's face was bright red, way redder than Tomato Kim's hair.

Minho frighteningly opposed the idea. "No, I'm not sexually aroused with the thought of slapping balls. That's offensive to the balls."

"Hey dickheads, come join us on playing spin the bottle!" Changbin's yelling had pretty much caught their attention. He was most definitely drunk, judging from the way he was rubbing a potato to Felix's groin.

"Didn't Christopherina-chan told us not to?" Jisung was kind of hesitant.

"Fuck that Crispy dude and his conventional philosophy! It's not a party unless we've made stupid decisions on our own." Changbin harshly pulled their hands, telling them to sit with the rest of Straight Kids while the party was being controlled by NCT.

Surprisingly Chan decided to join the game. He couldn't resist the temptation. However, he told Walmart to join them too, in case somebody get slapped on the balls.

Felix was delegated to lead the game. "So here are the rules." He put an empty bottle in the middle. "There are two sides of the bottle; the bottom and the top. I'll spin this bottle when the game begins. The person who's sitting in line with the top of the bottle will have to answer whatever question that was asked by the person who's facing the bottom side of the bottle. Simple as that. There are no boundaries within the question, but you must be honest or else you'll have to take a shot."

Chan interrupted, "But some people here are underage."

"Age is just a number, Crispy." Felix put extra salt on his last sentence.

"Wow, you're starting to sound like Changbin."

"Well, you are what you eat."

Then everyone went silent. Felix took their silence as his cue to begin the game.

He spun the bottle. Walmart was busy preparing the drinks without the need to move her butt, which caused her to not realize the bottle top that was facing her. The person who would be asking her was no other than Chan.

"Listen up, Walmie." Chan had already think of a good question. "You're new to us here, so can you tell us three facts about yourself?"

Walmart deeply sighed. It was basically an interrogation. "I'm a lesbian, I fucking hate Britney, and I once wanted to raise a pet but quickly discarded that idea because I can't even raise myself. Fuck my life."

"Mood—I mean next!" Felix told Walmart to spin the bottle as she should and it landed on himself. He looked straight forward which he found difficult these days just to be met with Seungmin's sneaky glance.

"Are you guys a thing?" Seungmin wiggled his eyes to Felix, then to Changbin.

Felix rolled his eyes. "Of course we are. To be honest, I was expecting a more exciting question." He spun the bottle with the biggest pout on his face.

It landed on Minho.

"Oho, let's get physical," said the person who's in charge of questioning a very absentminded Minho. That person was the one and only drunk Changbin, who's also known as SporeB when he's drunk (SporeB is Changbin's alter ego).

Minho was completely frozen. It's Minho's first party, yet he was already feeling exhausted by the reeking smell of alcohol. He had a mild PTSD attack which he tried to cover, all thanks to Tomato Kim.

"Which part of Jisung's body do you like the most? By the way, internal organs are not acceptable." SporeB simpered, looking pleased with himself. He was expecting vulgar answers such as the Sonic screwdriver, the two amigos, patootie, etcetera.

Minho's eyes roamed around Jisung's body, but it stopped on his face. Staring blankly on Jisung's face, realizing how red the younger had became. He rapidly blinked, then apologized for his action.

Eyes twinkling, he answered, "I like his eyes." Much to SporeB's disappointment as he banged his head on the nearest pillow. Hence he continued, "Something about his eyes makes me feel safe."

Pointing at his own eyes, the blonde was beyond confused. "My eyes? Are you sure?" Even the owner of Minho's favorite eyes was more clueless than Minho himself.

"Yes," he confirmed. "The color is so-so, but something about your eyes is just alluring. They make me feel at ease just by a glance, also your eyes remind me of someone, but somehow I can't really pinpoint that someone. They feel familiar, I just know it."

"O-okay," Jisung responded, stuttering. He was more than curious to find out that someone since Minho himself seemed to have forgotten that person's name. Jisung knew he wouldn't lie. He's Lee Minho, he never lies.

The game continued as it's supposed to. Minho spun the bottle, then it stopped. The next person to be asked was Jeongin and Hyunjin would be the one to question him.

"Innie, I've been wondering. No, we've been wondering..." Hyunjin was hesitant for a moment before proceeding his previous question. "... what is your sexual orientation?"

Without sparing a mere second, Jeongin hurriedly drank the liquor in front of him. To be honest, he had tried his best to avoid drinking for his own sake. However at this point, he had to. Everyone was low-key disappointed, but moreover, they're concerned about the younger. He kept hiding himself, though he's the one getting exposed physically.

It's like he's putting on a façade that's been covering true self behind an innocent cute boy image. Jeongin was that person who made them feel close, yet so distant at certain circumstances like this one.

Maybe one day. One day he would break free from his nest. One day... Jisung made a promise to himself.

"Next." Jeongin spun the bottle, expressionless. Mayhap he's a heavyweight.

The bottle landed on Woojin, with Jisung on the opposite direction. Looking serious, Jisung felt the need to end his raging curiosity here and now.

Hence he asked, "Hyung, you're a part of Straight Kids. However, for us it feels like you've been distancing yourself for a while. Even I am surprised that you're actually joining today's party..." Jisung stopped for a second to lighten the atmosphere, then continued. "Why?"

Jisung's question sounded rather ambiguous from the lack of sentence. Woojin, though, understood his intention to the hilt.

Woojin plastered a forced smile. "Because today is my last day with you guys."

"You're dying?!" Felix slammed Changbin's thighs due to being shocked.

"No! Not like that," the older denied. He fixated on making the answer sounds better. "I am moving out next week. I'm moving far from here and I don't want you to see me anymore."

"What? Why?" Jisung was beyond puzzled. "You're in your final year. Why don't you wait until graduation?"

"I intended to. However, things change and I must change too." Tears started falling from Woojin's eyes. He stood up, wiping his tears from his face. "I'm sorry, I need some space." Then left them frozen in confusion.

When Woojin was out of sight, Chan started mumbling on his own. "Sorry, Woojin. I'm gonna tell them."

"Tell us what?" Minho's eyes widened. He's still having a hard time comprehending with the situation.

"A story about Woojin. But promise me that you guys will tell me a story about you guys in return." He clenched his fist, voice muffled. "I'm sick of secret."

┉┉


	43. 42

"Rock-a-bye, baby on the treetop. When the wind blows... the cradle will rock. If the bough breaks... the cradle will fall. But hyung will catch you, cradle and all~"

"SHUT UP!" Sweats running on Jisung's forehead. He shot his eyes open, staring awkwardly at his frightened face reflecting on Minho's eyes.

Oh, right. He almost forgot that he's been sleeping on Minho's thighs.

"S-sorry," he muttered, taking a deep breath. "I must have been tired."

"You surprised me, that's for sure." Minho took out his handkerchief to wipe his boyfriend's sweat. It was a gift from Eunwoo for getting rid of Jisung from Eunwoo's side because apparently Jisung's charming assistant has been getting a lot of days off from his young master ever since they're dating. "I should probably sing a different song," he suggested.

"No, I really like that song. It's just... I had a terrible dream and your voice was echoing inside my dream." He tried to remember his dream. "In my dream, your voice sounded like a screeching cougar, it's creepy as fuck."

"Well, that's messed up."

They both laughed for God knows what reason. Jisung's sleepiness had been washed away, thus he finally let Minho's thighs rest.

To be quite honest, Jisung was lying. He was the one who told Minho not to lie ever again, yet he couldn't swallow his own word. He wasn't having a nightmare, nor hearing a screeching cougar. True, he could hear Minho's singing in his dream, but it was in someone else's voice, not Minho's.

Secretly, he muttered a lie in attempt to maintain the lovely atmosphere. After all, today's a happy day.

Minho and Jisung were happily sitting together in a familiar place, as how they preferred to describe the place. They're in a park, that park to be exact. The park where they once met Cesar Milan, the park where they once ate ice cream together, the park where they once spent the night in. It's that park.

The park where the love first sparked. Choo choo, motherfucker!

The only difference is that there's no cat this time. Jumin had arranged some events to the four cats, also he wanted to have a human-to-cat talk in private. Just Jumin things.

What a way to spend their last day of school this semester. Winter break is finally coming. Therefore Minho thought it's a good idea to enjoy nature's sensation right before the snow comes this season. They're still in their uniforms, which Jisung thought would add the high school drama vibes. He's not wrong though.

Two guys, sitting on the park zero inches away because they're gay.

Woojin hadn't been showing up ever since the latest party. Chan ensured everyone that he's okay, though it didn't seem okay at all. He left Straight Kids group chat and changed his number. Again, Chan said not to worry about his disappearance.

"Don't worry. He'll come back before you know it," Chan remarked, patting the confused boy with a comforting smile.

Jisung winced his eyebrows in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah," Minho agreed. "He sounded like he's leaving for a long time."

"Everyone thinks so, including him," he emphasized the last word. "I'm gonna bring him back. No, we're gonna bring him back. Trust me."

"I'm having a hard time registering all the shits that's been happening lately and I'm 100% certain Minho-hyung is more confused than I am." He nudged the lagging boy. "Am I right?"

"Huh?" He absent-mindedly stared at Jisung. "Yeah... this might just be my addled brain playing tricks on me."

Chan rummaged his brain, a pen was spinning between his fingers as he was deep in thought. "Okay, I'll explain everything to everyone in our next meeting."

"Meeting? Isn't today like... the last day of school this semester?"

"Yes, so let's have a short vacation before Christmas. All of us. I'll pay the expenses."

"I guess I'm okay with that."

"Sung-ie!"

"Sung-ie!"

"Jisung!"

Jisung snapped back to reality, mouth still agape with entanglement. The boy was surely not in his usual state this day. He's been over thinking too much for his own good.

"Uhm.. yeah. Sorry."

Minho wasn't alright with the Jisung he's facing now. He wasn't that dumb to understand Jisung's strange behavior. That boy had been spacing out the whole day.

Minho too was uncertain about the whole Woojin's sudden disappearance fiasco, yet he remained calm. He chose to trust Chan this time. However, Jisung couldn't seem to cope with the situation regardless of Minho's attempt to act natural.

Of course, he wouldn't let that happen.

"Jisung, let's buy ice cream." Minho pulled Jisung's hand and headed toward the ice cream parlor without waiting for Jisung's agreement. Who doesn't like ice cream? At least not them, that's for sure.

"Eh, are you sure? It's already cold," he pondered, almost as though he disagreed with the idea, whereas it's clear that he's not showing any sign of rebellion.

"No, it's not. There is no such thing as 'cold' when I'm with you." Minho's eyes immediately sparkled upon seeing different flavors of ice cream. Seeing Minho being giddy surely sent butterflies to his stomach. Jisung almost forgot that he was previously flirting with him.

All the thoughts he's having instantly went away as it's been replaced with Minho's love and understanding.

Jisung's fingers found themselves in Minho's cold ones, gingerly transferring his warmth with his touch. Minho smiled, letting the younger squeezed his delicate fingers as he liked. Such simple action would always melt Minho's heart.

Two hands, interlocked. Two hearts beating rapidly. Two minds thinking the same thing...

"Santa's Cookies!" They announced their desired ice cream flavor in unison. There were lots of amazing flavors. However, the best way to greet December is to order the one and only seasonal Santa's Cookies.

"Two Santa's Cookies coming up!" said the woman in the cashier. She looked like a woman in her fifties, the same woman who served their ice cream last time. Another woman, which they assumed is her daughter, nodded as she scooped the ice cream.

Minho took the receipt. "Last time it was your treat. It's my turn now." Minho handed the exact amount of money to her.

"Oh, I remember you two." The old lady clicked her fingers. "Your boyfriend was the one who paid the ice cream last time."

"Y-yeah..." Minho stuttered. "I can't believe you remember us out of many costumers."

"Of course! I may be old, but I'd never forget my dearest costumers' face." Her face lit up. Her daughter handed the ice cream to Jisung since Minho was busy talking with her mother.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"No, it's nothing." She let out a chuckle. "How can I not remember you two? After all, you two are the second prettiest people I've ever met after my own daughter. You two look adorable together," she exclaimed.

Both Jisung and Minho blushed upon being flattered by a wonderful lady. Who would've thought a fifty years old woman actually ships them?

"Thank you so much." They smiled before going back to their previous seating place.

"You're welcome, my dear! I hope you have an everlasting relationship." She waved with the most beautiful smile on her face.

Jisung and Minho's hands were still connected until Jisung decided to escape his fingers to wipe the ice cream on his own face. The ice cream was too good, they finished their ice cream in no time.

They ate in silence with Minho's head on Jisung's shoulder. Both staring at the sky above, although they would sometimes caught staring at each other's eyes. The urge to kiss was inevitable.

Minho was the first to take action. He carefully took off Jisung's jacket, his eyes traveled to Jisung's hand. The blonde undoubtedly has smooth, gorgeous skin.

He placed soft kisses to each fingers, then slowly going up to his wrist and his upper hand. Jisung stayed still while Minho was placing kisses on different place. The feeling of being taken cared of is nothing but wonderful.

Steadily, the kisses went up to his torso. Minho climbed his body to Jisung's lap as he continued to kiss him thoroughly. Each kiss felt soft and careful. It's like all the burden, worries, and struggles vanished at once as soon as Minho's lips touched his skin. Minho's kisses were reassuring and stable. Moreover, they were meaningful.

When Minho had reached Jisung's lips, the kiss wasn't going deeper as what Jisung would think it's going to be. The kiss remained soft and quick. It showed him that the older cared so much about him, he cared about each part of him and he loved all of them equally. He intended to kiss every part equally.

The moment Minho was finished kissing Jisung, he strayed on Jisung's lap, hugging him tightly.

Jisung stroked Minho's black locks. "Hyung, you don't have to do this for me."

"No way," he denied. "I'm not doing this just to make you feel better. I'm doing this because I love you."

"It's working." He placed a kiss to Minho's temple before returning the hug.

"I was the first to help you when you need my help, and then you helped me when I need yours. That's why... let me help you again this time." He drew circles on Jisung's back. "We're so good at helping each other. We should do that more often."

"You're right."

Minho got off Jisung's lap. Jisung was low-key disappointed with the loss of warmth. He always considered Minho's thighs as the best pillow, yet somehow having those thighs on top of his own thighs felt more seraphic.

Minho started another conversation. "Last time we're here, we're having our own sleepover. Now we're here, definitely not having a sleepover."

"It wasn't cold like this the other time." Jisung grabbed his jacket and placed it over their body. "If December wasn't this cold, I wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Stupid, your bed feels way better."

"Not without you."

"Oh my Jeongin!" Minho let out an ugly sound. "Stop hanging out with Chunhua or she'll teach you stupid pick up lines. Gosh, she's the queen of being cringey."

"That's okay, life feels way more entertaining when we do stupid things." This time, Minho agreed to Jisung's statement.

"Yeah..." Minho cringed, thinking about his embarrassing years. "When I was on that phase, I wanted to be a fairy because fairies are just so adorable. How stupid of me."

Jisung shook his head. "It's not stupid at all."

"Yeah, because I was still a little kid. It's scary how imaginative kids can be. Sadly, life is not a fantasy book."

Not liking his sentiment at all, Jisung leaned closer to Minho so he would listen. "Hyung, you cannot obtain reality without experiencing fantasy. Reality tells you the way of living, fantasy tells you the map to reality. It's called dream, Hyung. That's the purpose of living, and it's to find you: the connecting door to both sides."

"That was poetic," he admitted, rubbing his chin while absorbing Jisung's words of wisdom. "But seriously, are you implying that I can actually become a fairy?"

"Hyung, you are a fairy." The blonde giggled seeing a blushing Minho.

"Sung-ie, you should really stop hanging out with Chunhua."

┉┉


	44. 43

Winter has come. Jisung hasn't. It's not like he's undergoing sexual intercourse or something.

Jisung immediately noticed the new season as he opened his bedroom's curtain, revealing the exact scenery he's been thinking since the beginning of the month.

It's evidently bright outside, though it's quite difficult to see what's going on outside of his mansion with fogs blurring the splendor of today's sky, along with having dried mucus on his eyes after just waking up by the sound of various Christmas songs from Bambam's Playlist playing right outside of his bedroom. Typical Bambam's December behavior.

Jisung sought nothing but a serene morning without being intruded as always before sinning for the rest of the day. At least he could stretch his body like a cat peacefully, yet Bambam's Playlist was starting to get on his nerves.

Not like he hates Christmas song or Christmas in general, Jisung was only intrigued by the same song playing over and over again every December like a broken radio. He completely understood the term of 'seasonal music'. However, there are many great songs to choose, yet everyone always go with the exact same song called All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey as though it's the only available song in December.

All Jisung wanted for Christmas was anything but that song.

He briefly checked all messages to see whether there is something important or not. Nothing much, though. He could only find a message from Felix, saying "I had a wet dream" three hours prior. Nothing peculiar to be honest.

Jisung was ready to drop kick Bambam on the arse upon hearing Mariah Carey's voice going louder and louder each second. Honestly, if the real Mariah Carey walked into his room then got kicked by Jisung, he would unquestionably be in big trouble.

He positioned himself in front of the door; fists clenched, legs slightly parted, eyes fixated. He was feeling on top of his game.

Once the door opened, he drop kicked his opponent with his stable posture. That single kick made the victim escape a screeching sound as he writhed in pain.

"THAT'S FOR RUINING DECEMBER, YOU FUCKING DABDAB!" he yelled, his voice was still hoarse due to dehydration.

"Somebody said Dabdab?" Bambam peeked inside Jisung's bedroom with his brand new maid outfit.

Shit.

"Why would you do that?!" said the poor boy who go kicked by Jisung.

"Minho hyung? Wait what?" His head ached so much for mistaking Minho as Bambam. He puffed his cheeks, trying to compose himself. "Who allowed you to go in?"

"Me!" Bambam raised his hand then continued lip-syncing to his favorite Christmas jam.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, FIX YOUR FUCKING PLAYLIST! CAN'T YOU SEE MY PAIN?"

"Jeez, okay. Go take a chill pill." Bambam changed the song from All I Want For Christmas is You to Oh Holy Night which happened to be another overplayed song.

Jisung couldn't bear the pain anymore, hence he kicked Bambam and slammed the door, hoping Jeongin would give him forgiveness for every sins he had committed that morning and for the rest of the day.

He helped Minho standing up. Apparently, he had a severe butt pain due to Jisung's amazing kick. Minho was probably numb at this point forward. Jisung felt horrible for letting his foot and the floor to take Minho's virginity so carelessly.

"I'm so sorry." He went down to his knees to show his remorse toward the elder.

Minho caressed the pain in his butt. "Since when are you so good at kicking people? Who thought you those moves?" he asked, nonchalant as ever.

Jisung gave his question a quick thought. "Uhh... Taeyong?" He wasn't sure with his own answer, thuswise he changed the topic. "By the way, why are you here?"

"I'm picking you up."

"For what?" Jisung was certain he's not suffering from amnesia.

Minho face-palmed so hard, he almost fell backwards. "Chan's winter camp. I kinda figured out that you won't remember, so yeah... I'm here now."

"That's today?" He checked his calendar only to realized that he didn't have one. He then checked the calendar in his phone that he never knew existed just to be utterly dumbfounded afterwards. "Fuck, I completely forgot Christopherina-chan's horseshit. I can't believe you're being smarter considering you're the dumb one."

"Excuse me?"

"Whoops, excuse me. I'm gonna go take a shower." He literally yeeted his way to the bathroom.

Realizing that Jisung would probably spent an hour inside the bathroom, he went outside to play with the snow. He felt lonely at first, then all of a sudden one of Jisung's gardener joined him playing and everything felt three times better. Jisung's gardener looked young, as Minho would describe. He referred himself as the one and only Samuel Kim, the hottest gardener in the whole universe.

Until this point, Minho still couldn't figure out the reason why there are so many pretty faces in the Han's household. Perhaps one of the requirement to work here is to have a pretty face? He didn't know. Minho still wondered until this point, though he has a pretty face himself, yet never recognized the prettiness within and out of himself. In his eyes, Jisung's the prettiest being in the whole galaxy. (imagine working at Jisung's house...)

"Earth to Minho!" Jisung waved his hand several times to finally get Minho's attention. The elder quickly restored his common sense after having his daily contemplating session.

"Sung-ie..." Minho trailed off. "Have I told you that my dad was a florist?"

Minho's abstract question caught him off guard. "I believe you have."

He continued, "I once asked him on why on earth would he become a florist since most fathers in my previous school were businessmen."

"And?"

"He said he loved flowers because they're beautiful just like my mom." He stared deeply to Jisung's eyes, almost as if he's drowning inside the latter's eyes. "I think he meant to tell me to find a person who makes my world beautiful, rather than finding someone only because that person is exceptionally beautiful..." He placed a soft kiss on the tip of Jisung's reddish nose. "... thank goodness I have found you; the person who makes my world beautiful and happens to be exceptionally beautiful as well."

"Hyung, what do you see?" Jisung opened the front camera on his phone and showed it to Minho.

"Myself?"

"No shit, Sherlock. What you're seeing now is the embodiment of beauty, so please get your shit together cause we need to deal with Christopherina's bullshit later."

With that being said, the two went to Straight Kids base camp since Chan didn't like the idea of having everyone separated. We're talking about Straight Kids here, meaning at least 60 percent of them would most likely get lost, especially in the snow. Let's not even talk about Felix. He'd definitely be the first one to get lost considering he had no sense of direction whatsoever.

The ride to Straight Kids base camp was rather silent. However, it wasn't their usual comfortable silence, Minho couldn't help but get curious to find the source of the heavy atmosphere surrounding the car.

Minho broke the silence. "What's wrong?"

Jisung didn't bother telling the truth. "Jumin wouldn't let me bring Elizabeth the 3rd and now I'm kinda salty."

Minho hadn't even had the chance to breathe when Jisung decided to tell him the whole story which he didn't ask beforehand.

"Can I bring Elizabeth the 3rd with me?" Jisung gazed at Elizabeth the 3rd, then back to Jumin who was busy choosing his tie.

Jumin picked up his usual black tie. "You didn't say please." His voice remained stoic as always.

Jisung sighed. "Can I please bring Elizabeth the 3rd with me?" He stared deeply at Jumin's dark eyes with his pleading ones.

"No," he deadpanned.

"Damnit! It didn't work."

A soft chuckle escaped from Minho's mouth. "Sung-ie, he was just teasing you."

"This is a serious matter!" He insisted, salt still running in every words. "I hope there is some way to loosen my dad's attachment to his so-called lover."

Minho put his hand on Jisung's blonde locks. "Who needs cat when you are a cat yourself?" He teased the younger, his left hand continued playing with Jisung's hair as he began to nuzzle his head to savor his touch.

And so the ride appeared more relaxing than ever as Minho and Jisung recited a duet they learned every time they felt like singing. If the weather has emotions, the snow would melt by the beautiful melody they created.

┉┉

"Are we like the last one to arrive?" Jisung scanned through the building to found everyone looking ready. Suitcases scattering everywhere on the floor, alongside with piles of wool and linen coats which they're about to stack on their body, also some portable kitchenware. They were marvelously more prepared than Jisung.

Seungmin shook his head. "We still have to wait for Jeongin. He said he'll come here as soon as possible."

"What happened?" was all he could ask.

"Dentist," Seungmin said, pointing at his own teeth. "He needs to get his braces tighten, so don't expect him to talk much. His mouth would presumably hurt as fuck."

"It must've been painful for him," Minho wondered. "Wearing braces sounds awful."

Jisung added, "But the problem is that Jeongin looks cute with braces. I mean... he's already cute, yet the braces make him nine times cuter."

"Agree." Seungmin nodded. "The day when he took off his braces..." He struggled to finish his sentence. He was devastated. "... when that day comes, we shall commemorate our savior's growth."

Everyone who had previously eavesdropped their conversation began crying with the thought of Jeongin growing up. They all adored Jeongin with their heart and soul to the stage that they wished he would become eternal. Thereupon they treated him as God, therefore he's eternal. He is love and may Jeongin pursued to lay his blessings upon his believer. For thine is the kingdom of Fox Army, the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Hyunjin cried from afar. "I can't believe he's going to be an adult soon. It feels like he's born yesterday."

"What is going on?" Jeongin stepped into the building on the spur of the moment. A very delicious-looking strawberry shortcake flavored ice cream was clutched tightly on his hands, some part of the dessert were smeared across his face.

"Innie, it's winter. Why are you eating ice cream?" Hyunjin questioned, his thumb gently wiped the ice cream from his face.

"I didn't choose ice cream, the ice cream chose me."

"Wha—"

Chan clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that everyone's here, let's go!"

"Wait, who's driving?" Jisung wasn't sure with their safety, considering they all just had an emotional breakdown. It's not safe to drive emotionally. He learned this from Eunwoo.

"I am!" A familiar looking guy appeared out of nowhere with a girl on his side. Wait, there were two girls.

Gosh, can people stop appearing out of nowhere? I don't have a room in my heart to spare, Jisung cried internally.

Jisung wasn't satisfied at first, thinking that there would be an addition, more like three extra people. However, he discarded his negative thought upon realizing that those three people consist of Chunhua, Jiwoo, and Walmart; also known as the holy trinity. Now he's thinking on the easiest possible way to drag those three to his meme squad which only consists of him and Felix thus far. He wished to create an empire filled with memelords with faces more beautiful than the Greek gods. Nonetheless, quintuplets sounded good enough for now.

Jiwoo suggested an idea. "What about we buy coffee first? I'll pay."

"Me!" Chan, Chunhua, and Changbin raised their hands.

"What kind of coffee do you guys want?"

"Depresso," Chan blandly announced. Minho assumed that he's joking, although the dark circles beneath his eyes said otherwise.

"Deathpresso," Changbin said in a sarcastic tone.

"Sexpresso." Chunhua put her hand around Jiwoo's waist. From the other side, Jisung had the urge to steal Chunhua's cleverness.

Jiwoo pointed at Changbin and Chan. "You two need help." Then he pointed at Chunhua. "You need to see me alone after this camp."

Not in front of my salad, Hyunjin thought, almost spitting the salad he's been eating. Hyunjin was completely done with everyone's bullshit.

"Let's just go." He picked up all of his belongings to Chan's big ass car. The rest soon followed his footsteps without bothering to speak anything stupid.

I can't believe we're actually having a trip together! Minho giggled with that thought across his head.

┉┉


	45. 44

The journey from Straight Kids' base camp to their so-called field trip site went surprisingly smooth. Chan purposely rented a large car in a view of the fact that his beloved underclassmen would result in bloodshed which could be a nuisance for Jiwoo who's in charge of maintaining everyone's lives by driving the car.

Notwithstanding the fact that they had a riot because of their clashing personal tastes, such as; the proper sequence of preparing cereal, their preference of choosing movie genre, etcetera. Basically, they changed topic every second until someone made an argument, then the opposing side would quote something from Shakespeare before somebody else abruptly changed the topic.

The cycle of argumentation continued to heated up for God knows how long. Seungmin was the first sane individual who managed to calm their tits down.

In attempt of taming seven mad dogs, he proceeded to tell a long ass story about a pedophile named Dick Thunder who befriends a thirty years old stalker, so that the pedophile can snatch his friend's prepubescent daughter away.

The story was so nerve-wracking, somehow they turned silent as Seungmin narrated the story. Walmart, though, was sleeping peacefully while dreaming about killing her classmates who used to bully her because of her peculiar name.

Walmart used to hate her name either. She thought it's a stupid name as she blamed her parents, assuming that they're drunk for naming her that way, although she never listened to what they had to say.

However one day, she tried to talk things through with her parents nicely without causing cold-blooded massacre. She admitted it was the best decision she had ever made.

"Dad," she called her dad, gently pulling the edge of his sleeve. "Why is my sister's name is Rose?"

Kneeling down to Walmart's level, he answered, "Because your mother likes roses."

"Oh, okay." She nodded, now knowing her parents' method of naming their children. "Thanks, Dad!"

"No problem, Walmart."

Back to the car, we have Seungmin hypnotizing the kids with stories without them realizing that they've had already arrived at their destined location: a promising small cottage that could fit up until ten people. Meanwhile, there were eleven of them, which didn't matter because they could just easily escort one person out using the method of rock, paper, scissor.

Chan stood before them. "Okay, room arrangement!"

"Oh, look! Crispy is acting like a teacher, an annoying one," Changbin hissed, rolling his eyes. Again, he was being salty towards their oldest friend.

Chan ignored him. "I first didn't want to pair any of you with your partner. However, if I didn't, you guys would cause a riot. Then, a thought about putting you in a room with your best friend, but soon discarded that idea just by thinking of Felix and Jisung's pterodactyl screeches whenever they're alone together—"

"Just go straight to the point! I mean, gay to the point," Changbin interrupted.

At this point, Chan almost had the urge to stab Changbin. Key word: almost.

"In conclusion, I'm sharing a room with Jiwoo because he's the only sane human in this household. Then the girls are sharing a room together. ChangLix and MinSung will share the biggest room together, and finally Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jeongin together. Any objection?"

"Nope." They all shook their head in unison. Chan smiled happily then unlocked the door for them to enter.

With that, they settled themselves in each rooms while the girls were busy helping Jiwoo on preparing lunch. Straight Kids are very fortunate to have them. Those three didn't belong to Straight Kids, they only shared the same religion. However, they were doomed without them, especially the domestic college boy, Jiwoo.

They didn't do much that day. They spent most of their time watching Teletubbies with Portuguese subtitle until Jiwoo announced that the lunch was ready to be eaten.

"Wow," was all Changbin could say. The foods were so good, they had hard time functioning as proper beings.

Chan cried a little. "This is God's menu."

Felix patted Jiwoo's shoulder. "You're cooking like a five star Michelin." Jiwoo choked a little, while struggling to show a grateful smile.

Good food can take you anywhere. In Minho's case, he was taken to the food heaven. All he could mutter out was "Du du du du" which didn't make any sense at all.

Jiwoo thought that they were being too much with the compliment. He couldn't differentiate whether they're just being nice or they're seriously overwhelmed with the goodness of his cooking. For a guy who had won many cooking competitions in his whole life, this was merely an ordinary dish.

He thought Minho's reaction was the worst, and then there's Jisung.

Jisung literally slammed the table. "Dude, this is food porn! I'm seriously gonna have a foodgasm."

Again, Jiwoo thought wrong. If Minho was a clown, Jisung was the whole circus.

"Um, Hyung..." Jeongin called Jisung. "What's a foodgasm?" he asked. Next to him, Seungmin gave Jisung a warning glare, clearly mortified for Jeongin's future.

"It's when you eat a food so good," Jisung explained, "that you're practically having an orgasm."

"Oh, in that case..." Jeongin bowed his head to Jiwoo's direction. "Thank you for the multiple orgasms, Jiwoo-hyung."

Aside from Seungmin, they roared in laughter and Jeongin beamed, incredibly pleased with himself. Jisung, all kinds of cheery, swung an arm over Jeongin's shoulder. Meanwhile, Minho was still paralyzed in his own tiny world.

"You're so very welcome."

┉┉

"So, what happened to Woojin-hyung?" Seungmin asked in curiosity. He low-key missed having Woojin scolding him every time he cussed.

"He's currently staying at Wonho's place," Chan finally explained. "The house is quite far, but it's not like he has breached North Korea or something."

"But doesn't he likes to come to our school? I've seen him sometimes."

"Wonho enjoys those kinds of stuff," Chan said, thinking about those days. "But this isn't about Wonho, it's about Woojin."

Jisung agreed. "Yes, I can't help but feel bothered with his words," Jisung admitted, "the way he suddenly disappeared, though he's only staying at Wonho's place."

"Woojin had a situation." Chan spoke up, letting out the secret he's been wanting to spill for a long time. "His parents were very strick and demanding, they also happen to be very homophobic."

The atmosphere turned heavier as they waited patiently for Chan to spill everything.

He continued, "Woojin felt depressed and pressured whenever he's around his parents. That's why he was so happy when he heard that a new family was moving to the house right next to him. It was Hwall's family. He called him Hyunjoon back then."

"I know that guy," Hyunjin suddenly said. "He's Woojin-hyung's best friend. There were rumors about them dating but it's only a false rumor."

"Indeed." Chan nodded. "They're childhood friends, and childhood friends often visit each other's houses. One day, when Hwall played at Woojin's house, his parents caught them kissing..."

"... Woojin said to me that the kiss wasn't meant to be romantic. I mean—"

Jisung cut him off, "Woojin-hyung probably didn't know the meaning of kisses back then, judging from his strick parents."

Chan clicked his fingers. "Exactly!" The rest went 'ohhh' upon hearing Jisung's commentary. "Then they disowned him for that."

"WHAT?!"

Their reaction didn't stop Chan from continuing the story. "He has nowhere to go because they threatened him many times if he decided to live with Hwall's family. They even brainwashed Hwall's parents to the point that Hwall almost never went out of his house."

"Those fuckers! Are they actually qualified to call themselves his parents? Fuck this shit." Seungmin clenched his fists, ready to throw some hands.

"Minnie, stop that." Gently caressing his the younger's hand, Hyunjin tried to calm the raging Seungmin. "Hyung, what is Woojin-hyung running away from?"

"Ever since they kicked Woojin out, bad things kept happening to them; his mom soon fell ill, they lost a lot of money because of that, then she died."

"Oh."

"So now Woojin is running away because he's being chased by his father. He tried to delete as many evidence as he could, in order for us to not get involved, especially me," he trailed off, "because my family just kinda took him. We didn't adopt him since he's not from an adoption center, we basically took him." The memories ran through his head like it was yesterday's event.

The sound of relentless knocking on his front door had caught Chan's full attention. At that time, everyone had already fell asleep except the little Chan who was too preoccupied to solve his brand new puzzle to actually felt sleepy.

Usually, he would've prevented himself from approaching any subjects at night. However this time, he just felt like opening the door to the person whose life he's about to change.

"Who are you?" Chan quizzed whoever's standing at the other side of the door while he was also struggling to find the right key.

No answer was heard. Chan sighed when he eventually managed to open the door.

"W-woojin," he whispered. His voice was breaking as he spoke.

"Well, Woojin. May I ask what kind of business do you have with the Bang's family at this hour?" He stood in front of the door, not letting him come inside yet.

"I'm j-just... um, I—do you have any food?" He stared at Chan with his pleading eyes. "It's okay if you don't want to. I'm gonna look e-elsewhere."

That moment, Chan almost cry just by watching his own reflection on Woojin's glistening eyes. He looked lost and sad. How could he ignore those eyes? They were calling out for him.

"I'm willing to give you plenty if you agree to stay here and help me solving this big puzzle that Daddy gave to me."

"I promise."

That day, he gave him light. He gave him comfort that he never realized because his world was already filled with light. But when it's suddenly gone, he couldn't get used to it.

"Let me help." Minho looked seriously at Chan's eyes. It's his first sentence after a while.

"I can kick adults too," Felix backed him up.

"Adults should be handled by adults," Jisung suggested. Usually, he would always agreed with Felix, but he learned from experience. Him and Minho couldn't handle Tomato Kim at that time, Jumin's assistant was the one to handle the situation.

"He's right." Chan sided on Jisung. "My dad will take care of Woojin's father without using punches. He'll make an agreement with him. After all, he's a businessman." They all nodded respectfully. "The problem is to drag Woojin back without us giving him PTSD. Right now, his mindset is the same one that he had when we first met; afraid and hopeless."

"What about his girlfriend?" That question had been bothering Jisung for a while.

"Actually she's not his girlfriend. She's my cousin. She's alright, though."

"Huh?"

"He faked his relationship to avoid suspicion, also because he wanted to make an impression that he has a good life," he spilled the tea like it's coffee. Releasing all these information undoubtedly had lifted a big weight from his chest. "The truth is that he's afraid of falling in love."

No one thought that something this awful was happening to Woojin's life. Regardless, they're relieved to know that he's alive and okay.

"Actually I—" Jeongin unexpectedly blurted out. "I've been meaning to tell you g-guys. After hearing Woojin-hyung's story, uhm..." He's in the middle of internal crisis.

Seungmin put Jeongin into an embrace. "It's okay, Innie. If you don't wanna say it yet, we can wait."

"No! I want to." Jeongin breathed in and out. "I've been hiding myself this whole time because my parents keep watching me 24/7 to the point where I constantly grow anxious to be open."

They listened in silence, not wanting to make him feel distanced nor to increase the pressure to open up.

"Is it weird to not be straight, gay, bi, ace, or anything else? I mean... I don't see myself in any of those labels category."

Jisung asked in curiosity, "Is it why you refused to tell us your sexuality? Is it because you don't fit anywhere?"

"Yes," he stated truthfully.

"Are you perhaps pomosexual?" Chunhua took a wild guess.

"Po—what?"

"Pomosexual," she repeated, "is a term used to refer to those who reject sexuality labels or don’t identify with any of them, but it's not really an identity. You get it?"

"Ahh, that seems more like me." Jeongin beamed, feeling all giddy after hearing that he's not actually weird, there are people like him too in the world.

"Oh my—" Seungmin shed a tear. "Did our Jeongin just came out of the closet?"

"Maybe?" He wasn't sure himself.

Seungmin, Hyunjin, Jisung and Felix (the first years) automatically stood up. "We should celebrate it," they all said in unison.

With that being said, they decided to finish their Ted-talk to lighten the atmosphere with some Christmas songs that doesn't belong to Mariah Carey. Minho and Jisung would sometimes pet each other's head since they're lacking cat-contact, it's driving them insane.

"Jisung, can I have a minute." Chan suddenly called him, stopping him from sharing an intimate moment with Minho. He had an apologetic look on his face for interrupting such beautiful moment, but he must, or not he might forgot all the things he wanted to say.

Jisung followed Chan. "What is it?"

Chan was kind of hesitant. "I think your mother is alive."

Huh?

He shook his head. "Christopherina-chan, how many drinks did you have?"

"I'm a hundred percent sober, Jisung."

Jisung still couldn't believe his ears. "Christopherina-chan, my mom disappeared a long time ago. My dad said no one has ever seen her since then. The odds are telling me that either she died somewhere very deserted or she committed suicide. Perhaps she jumped off a cliff? I don't know anymore."

Chan protested, "No, I'm pretty sure she's alive."

"How do you know for sure? You've only seen my mom once or twice when your father visited my house for business talk."

"I know that!" Chan didn't even know why is it bugging him so much. "She has those eyes. I don't know how to describe them, but I swear that I saw her a couple of months ago with some kids that I don't recognize."

"You must be kidding me."

┉┉


	46. 45

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. In this case, one of Jeongin's bracket fell from his tooth and everyone was looking for that tiny object. Not to mention that Jeongin had multiple mood swings ever since his latest visit to the dentist.

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt, the thought repeated in the fallen bracket's mind like a broken CD. The bracket stayed still, not even thinking about running away, although the bracket was the one getting hurt. Press F for respect.

"Found it!" Seungmin cheered while picking up the tiny object to the sky. The feeling of achievement rushed through his spine as he lifted the object. Jeongin's tears started falling down when he saw Seungmin walking up to him with his beloved bracket.

Chan had properly dismissed the party before somebody else got hurt. Most of them decided to stay in their rooms, some others were too bored as they switched on the television to watch The Twilight Saga which they would regret later. However, life is already full of regret, so there's nothing wrong to watch a very poorly produced movie.

Jisung and his roommates were busy watching Changbin as he played Doki Doki Literature Club from the moment Minho caught him playing in secret. Jisung, though, had been spacing out ever since Chan told him about his mother being alive somewhere.

"Daddy, where's Mommy?" Jisung peeked his head inside of Jumin's office because he couldn't find his mother.

Jumin put him on his lap. "Jisung, your mom..." he said breathlessly, somehow couldn't seem to finish his sentence.

"My mom what?" Jisung wouldn't let Jumin slide an excuse, he wanted the truth.

However, Jumin was acting suspiciously weird. This was the first time he saw his own father failed to keep his composure. His breath sounded unsteady, he even feared that Jumin had an asthma attack.

Jumin's eyes widened. "I don't know, Jisung. I don't know!" Unbuttoning the first two buttons on his shirt, he let his head fell on the table, basically slamming it harshly. Jisung quickly jumped off his lap to prevent further damage that Jumin might caused.

The little boy had no idea what on earth was happening. Even the sight of his father losing himself scared him so much, he continued to step backwards. His legs were trembling in fear.

The Jumin he knew always have everything under control. The Jumin he knew always have an answer to every question. The Jumin he knew loves his wife more than anything in the world, even Jisung.

For years he managed to overcome Jumin's cold nature because deep inside, he knew that Jumin loves the person he also loves so much: his mother. Nonetheless, his image began to change vividly in this particular moment. Everything he did was contradictory.

It took Jumin a while to compose himself. "Jisung, have you seen Elizabeth the 3rd? I really need her right now."

"Out of all the things you could've said and done, but you still choose that stupid cat? How pathetic." Jisung shot him a glare. His eyes looked dead, not a sparkle was seen, only pure hatred.

"I apologize, you remind me of her—"

"SHUT UP! I don't need you anymore, Jumin Han. Just play with that cat of yours." This was the first time he addressed Jumin with his real name. Coldly he said, "That cat is the spawn of devil."

Before things could've gotten worse, he was escorted out by this guy who addressed himself as Mr. Cha. Jisung didn't know much about that man except that he's the youngest worker in the Han's mansion and that he was his mother's former assistant.

The memories he'd been trying to erase kept coming back at him. He hated that memory. He hated it a lot. Those words he had spoken echoed in his head.

He felt guilty; absolutely, extremely, exceptionally guilty, ergo his heart had finally found peace at the moment he decided to let his mother go.

The blonde felt like crying. There's nothing he desired more at this stage but to pour his tears out. There were shoulders that he could lean on, there were ears that would listen to him without guilt-tripping the sad boy, and there were hands to lead him out of the dark alleyway.

He's not alone, yet he refused to accept all the helping hands because the fear of being a burden was far greater than the fear of having the past repeated again.

"Changbin, who's your DDLC bias?" Minho tilted his head as he saw Changbin who kept fiddling with his laptop after getting a bad ending.

Wiping his sweat, he muttered, "Yuri."

"Didn't she just stab herself to death?"

"I'm saving her now! Wait for me, Yuri!" Changbin screamed to his laptop.

Minho had a shock expression on his face. He never knew this side of Changbin existed, but other side was actually his real side. The true Changbin had always been attached to his 2D girlfriend.

Felix butted in, "What about Sayori?"

"She's good too, but I don't like her poem."

They all seemed happy together while Jisung was having a mental breakdown. Some part of him was jealous, some other was happy to see them happy.

To be honest, he wanted to tell Minho. He wanted to pour his feelings out, especially when they promised each other to be open. And here he was, hiding all the shits to himself.

┉┉

From the other side of the room, Chunhua was experiencing an existential crisis. Today's her first day of period and she forgot to bring her purse filled with female's necessity.

"Fuck you, Satan's sacrificial waterfall!" She cursed underneath her breath, "you damn hell's public wave pool."

Exactly five minutes ago, Walmart excused herself out with Jiwoo to buy the things they need for making tomorrow's breakfast. Now, she blamed herself for letting Walmart go.

She tried calling Walmart and Jiwoo several times only to realize that they didn't bring their mobile phones with them. Punching her forehead to the pillow, she mentally cursed them for being too reckless.

"Sorry," she muttered lightly before she began unpacking Walmart's suitcase, searching for any menstrual related item but to no avail.

Chunhua suddenly remembered that Walmart has hormonal issues and that her cycle lasts for more than 100 days. Last year she only bleed one time when it's supposed to happen every month.

Sighing, she had no choice. She had to ask the boys. Nevertheless, things didn't go as well as she would've predicted.

"Minho-hyung, can you buy me pads?"

"I don't know. Can I?"

"Jeongin, can you buy me pads?"

"What's that?"

"Seungmin, can you buy me pads?"

"You're on your period?"

"Yes." She put on a hopeful face.

"And that's on period."

"Hyunjin, can you buy me pads?"

"I'm kinda busy. Can you hold it for two more hours?"

"Chan-hyung, can you buy me pads?"

"Look on the bright side! At least you're not pregnant."

"I WISH MEN HAVE PERIOD TOO, GODDAMNIT."

She thought she would've died at this moment until she's met with Jisung: her true savior.

"Jisung, can you buy me pads?"

"Sure." Nodding, Jisung hurriedly grabbed his wallet. "What size is your pussy?"

"Uhh... I'll text you the details." A shade of red started to appear on her cheeks. At this point, Chunhua knew that her cause of death would most likely be embarrassment.

Chunhua hastily ran to the bathroom the moment she felt blood running down her womanhood. Jisung took this sign as her goodbye, therefore he put on his luxurious Gucci coat and left the cottage.

Out of nowhere, a hand held tightly to his left wrist.

"Min—Felix?" The blonde stood there, startled upon mistaking his best friend for his boyfriend.

Without words, Felix put his arm around Jisung's shoulder. Usually the latter would protest with having people's hand on his Gucci, yet he stayed silent because it's Lee Felix.

"What's the beef? You've been acting meatloaf lately." They walked together over and underneath the white snow.

"Is it that noticeable?" Currently, Jisung felt like burying his body alive.

Felix let out a satisfied laugh. "My freckles can smell the unthinkable. Even feelings," he mused, still holding onto that principle of the mighty freckles of Felix. He named them Felicia.

Giving up, Jisung let his tongues rolled out the words like river. Chan's words, his concerns, the possibilities. He told him everything.

"Did Minho know this?" was the question that first came to his mind.

Shaking his head, he answered, "Nope."

"Why?"

"Bro, his parents are dead," he exclaimed, "how do you expect me to keep blabbering non stop about my mom's condition and being sad about it when his parents are dead?"

"So that's why you chose me?"

"Yes," he admitted.

Smiling, Felix pinched Jisung's frozen butt-cheeks all of the sudden, then spiked it afterwards. "Cheer up, Bro. It's still a possibility. You can't 100% trust Chan's eyesight, he once mistook me as Kim Chaewon."

Jisung flinched when he felt Felix's hand grazing on his buttocks. "Mother trucker, dude, that hurt like a butt-cheek on a stick."

"Like I said, it's a mere possibility," he emphasized the word 'possibility'. "Besides, isn't it a good that your mom is alive?"

"Well yes, but..." Thinking about restarting his life made him dizzy. "I don't want the past to repeat again. I'm afraid my dad can't handle the situation."

They were really engrossed with their conversation, they nearly forgot to buy pads for Chunhua. Thank goodness, they saw an advertisement regarding the product they're about to purchase. Amazingly, they did not feel embarrassed about buying pads, though many girls are still embarrassed to bring their feminine products to the cashier.

They exited the store peacefully. "Well..." Felix trailed off. "You and your father don't necessarily have to change drastically. You only need to adjust with your mom's sudden presence. After all, life is about adjusting. You can't expect everything to happen as you please. Life is shit and all we can do is getting used to the smell of people's shit."

"You're quite of a talker, aren't you?" Jisung teased while juggling the pads he just bought.

"I've experienced the unexpected too, y'know?" Felix wiggled his eyebrows. "You probably don't know that I had a cousin."

"So?" He couldn't find any correlation between Felix's cousin and his mother.

Felix took Jisung's question as his cue to story-tell. "She's about a month older than me, but she acted like a fucking banana. She taught me the ways to be a joke and here am I now."

Jisung was somewhat interested in the story. "Woah, you should've introduced me to her."

"I wish I could." Felix laughed, stating, "but she's dead. She died two years ago during a surgery."

Jisung began to regret his words. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Nah, it's fine. Her death was kinda predictable since she kept going to the hospital because she had Friedreich's ataxia and she's proud of it... You know, because it sounds cooler than cancer."

The latter had no idea on how to respond to that.

"She had already predicted her death before the surgery happened." Felix's mind traveled back to the old memories. "Before she was about to undergo her surgery, she specifically wanted to talk to me for the last time."

"What were her final words?"

"You won't believe this..." He chuckled before continuing. "She told me to clear her browsing history."

"Wow, that's... wow." Felix watched as Jisung's eyes widened, and then his expression morphed into an ambivalent smile.

Felix continued, "I thought that I could accept her death wholeheartedly. However, as days went by, everything became heavier as I had lost half of me." Tears began to form slowly on his eyes. "I realized how many things I should've done with her when she's still alive. I regret so many things, thus she kept coming to my dreams."

"You're so strong," Jisung commented, gently stroking Felix's cold hair.

"What's dead can't be revived. I know that well, therefore I tried my best to adjust with the situation. I keep moving forward." He glanced at the blonde, smiling. "And then I met you; a true blessing that I want to protect for the rest of my life, so that I don't have to regret a single thing when we're separated."

"Felix, I—" He pulled the boy to his embrace, sending warmth within each touch they shared.

Throughout their life, they've laughed, cried, fought, getting back together again, and many more. Although Felix said that he's glad to met Jisung, the other felt more grateful to have Felix by his side. Besides, he wouldn't have met Minho without Felix's help. Moreover, all the great things he'd experienced wouldn't have happened without Felix's support. They were two matching puzzles from the start.

"They say death brings new life, it gives meaning to our life. For me personally, it brings me closer to you."

Jisung was basically tangling on Felix's body due to heavy crying. Who knew a meme boy like Felix would be such an emotional, yet inspiring person?

Felix took a deep breath, fogs escaping from his mouth as he exhaled the burden. "Let's say that your mother is alive. It means that you have absolutely nothing to worry about because everyone's already close to you. That's why death won't be necessary anymore."

But still, his insides were hurting. He gotta admit that his mother neglected and betrayed her family.

Silence.

"Hey, Felix." He let himself go from their shared hugs.

"What?"

"Does it always feel like this?" Jisung swallowed. "Or does it get better?"

"I'm not gonna baby you and lie to you," he replied softly, truthfully. "It always hurts. But you'll eventually get used to it."

They could've spent the entire night talking and crying outside if the call from Chunhua didn't interfere with their intimate moment. Still, priorities come first, thus they sprinted their way back to the cottage.

"Everything will be okay." Felix wouldn't stop repeating that one sentence to calm the other boy. Those words came out like a spell, then all of a sudden, the atmosphere turned lighter.

A big, gummy smile was plastered on Jisung's face. "I love you so much, but no homo."

With that being said, the two laughed happily. It was a beautiful night well spent with a beautiful person by his side.

"Jisung, please remember that you're someone's reason to smile," Felix explained, "because you are a joke."

"I—"

Felix cut him off. "You're a joke, I'm a joke too. In fact, life is a joke, so take it easy. No pressure, man. We're men."

"We're men." Again, Felix's words felt like spell to him. It wasn't a bad thing, though.

Jisung knocked on the front door many times in annoyance due to the cold that's starting to bug him each minutes.

Jisung was glad he had accepted Chunhua's demand. Without spending another second, he kissed his best friend on the lips. No, more like giving him a light peck to show his gratitude. Felix did the same thing to him, then whispered "No homo" as usual. They failed to realize that the door was wide open.

Minho was bewildered with the sight in front of him as he opened the door. He just stood there, utterly frozen, before they retreated their gazes away.

"Uhh..." Minho chuckled awkwardly. "Chunhua has been waiting for you guys."

┉┉


	47. 46

"It's 8 A.M! What are you doing?" Chan half yelled at a drunken-looking Hyunjin.

Chilling on the back seat with Seungmin snuggling on his chest, he lied, "Drinking water." Still, it's blindly obvious that he's drinking wine instead of water, even for blind people. Asking wasn't necessary.

Chan shook his head. "Water?" His hand reached for the wine bottle, snatching that thing away from Hyunjin. "That definitely looks like wine," he said in disappointment, but not surprised.

"Wow, looks like Jesus did it again!" A stinging satire in his voice. Seungmin was heard giggling on Hyunjin's chest, probably drunk.

Chan was so done. 

Chan had already thought that waking them up early would result in utter chaos, yet he still couldn't figure out the best way to persuade them to 'not be lazy' or 'be cooperative' at least. Nonetheless, Hyunjin and Seungmin were drunk before they arrived at the destined location. Not to mention he also scented some unfinished beef between Jisung and Minho.

If it weren't for Jeongin's godly aura, Chan would already dig his own grave in all likelihood.

Meanwhile on the other side of the universe, Jisung was so deep in thought because his boyfriend hadn't speak much since yesterday night. It's not like Minho was much of a speaker. However, it's not Lee Minho if he hadn't commented anything related to cat business. The silent treatment Minho was giving him surely pained him.

What if it's about my kiss with Felix? But everyone knows our kiss screams the 'no homo' vibe. Wait... what if he's not everyone? Well, obviously he's Minho. Minho doesn't get jealous... unless?

"Oi, Bro!" Felix waved his hand in front of Jisung's face. "World to Jisquirrel!"

No response. Apparently Jisung.exe has stopped working.

"How many members are in DaySex?" He began to question his best friend's common sense.

"Blue," he mumbled.

"Next question," he said frowning. "How many fingers am I showing?" He showed his middle finger directly to Jisung's face. Usually the boy would get triggered whenever someone gave him the middle finger. Let's see if he's actually alive or not...

A smile crept on his face, a really creepy one. "Not enough to pleasure me."

"Okay, this calls for a drastic measure." He cleared his throat before shouting, "Jisung's Gucci is a fake one!"

Immediately Jisung's eyes darted to Felix's side. "Bitch, my Gucci is more real than Chan's dick."

"Can you two fucking give me a fucking break?! For fuck's sake, shut the fuck up before I shove a fucking rotten banana to your ass," Chan threatened before he continued contemplating his life's decisions and why did he end up being a widower in the middle of winter, though no one has died.

Not now at least.

Having his seventh sense back, Jisung braced himself to start a conversation that he's been planning for the past five songs he's heard from the car's speaker.

Discreetly, he nudged the absent-minded boy in hopes of getting rid of the lingering apathy away from him. Minho instantaneously noticed the hopeless attempts as he flickered his eyelids straight to Jisung's awkward gaze.

"Minho-hyung..." he dangled, scratching his head. "Why are you so... silent? I—uhm, you're kinda scaring me. You're not mad or something, right?"

"Mad?" he repeated. "Why would I be mad?"

"You're not talking about cats."

He protested, eyebrows furrowed. "So you want me to be mad?"

Yup, he's mad.

From this moment, Jisung was seriously out of ideas. He's not the best person when it comes to handling vexed situation. Nevertheless, he was the one to start the conversation, therefore he must maintain the flow of the conversation.

"Hyung, you misunderstood. Me and Felix are bros, we don't put romantic feelings in our kiss." At this moment, Jisung was getting desperate.

"Jisung, I know that." His voice flat.

Shit, he called me Jisung. Not Sung-ie. Jisung.

"Then why are you being weird?" Jisung raised his voice as he said those words. In this regard, all eyes landed on their direction.

Unlike Jisung, Minho hated receiving this much attention from his surrounding. He tried to pretend not to care, yet the looks on those eyes disturbed him tremendously. It sickened him so much to the point he's not in the mood to do anything anymore.

"If I'm weird than what are you? Do you know how ridiculous you look with that outfit? You're only covering yourself with your dad's money. You're nothing without money," Minho cringed. That was a low blow and jerk thing to say.

That's not true, a voice on Minho's mind spat back right after.

Even though it was a mere lie, those words still came out from his mouth and just like toothpaste, what's been pushed out cannot be returned. Soon enough, he regretted his words. Still, he couldn't bring himself to apologize.

The way he said those words seemed like Jisung's such a pathetic being, while honestly, he was the pathetic ones.

"Oh, hey!" Chan yelled out loud, attempting to lighten the tense ambiance. "Looks like we have arrived at the ice skating rink. Let's go!" He knew he had to do this before things gone worse. It was a very leader thing to do.

The thing about morning, there won't be many people in places like this secluded skating arena Chan had chosen. Therefore the boys and girls wouldn't have a problem, concerning Chan had reduce the chances of them to embarrass themselves. They could have the whole rink to themselves.

"We're here?" Walmart let out a satisfying yawn, comfortably stretching her body like a cat after spending the whole ride on Chunhua's breast.

Feeling a weight had been lifted from her body, Chunhua proceeded to wake up and left the car without a single word.

"Tell me, why are boobs so warm?" Walmart followed Chunhua, half sleeping.

"Because they're filled with hopes and dreams," Jiwoo answered while turning off the engine. Walmart found Jiwoo's answer very accurate as she nodded in flat-chested.

The passengers gradually left the car, the driver too. Jisung and Minho were the last one to exit since they sat on the very back of the car.

Jisung left without a word, followed by Minho. As soon as he closed the door, he was met with Chan's burning facial expression.

Chan leaned closer to the latter, narrowing their gap. He whispered, "Don't even think about ruining our vacation. I worked so hard and spent so much money on this." It was more of a warning rather than a kind reminder. His voice stern and unnerving. "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all. Just enjoy things as you should be."

Chan did nothing wrong, yet everything went wrong.

The latter only nodded and staggered upstairs to enter the skating rink.

Sadly, no one noticed Jisung. The boy was crying in silence the whole time. He was so silent, everyone failed to see his tears. Before entering the rink, he went to the restroom to cry.

Jisung was an attention seeker, he worked so hard to get people to acknowledge him. For that reason, he would easily lose all the attention by dropping his act. In his deepest heart, he hoped for someone to ask him what's wrong. Notwithstanding the situation, everyone failed to notice. It ached him even more.

Truthfully, Minho wasn't the only one who's lonely.

┉┉

"You must be kidding me!" Chunhua shrieked with laughter. "How the hell can a drunk man skate like he comes straight out from Yuri on Ice?" The rest were equally mind blown after witnessing Hyunjin's graceful skating despite being drunk.

"Éros, me darling," he mused before pulling Seungmin's hand to join him skating. Quite frankly, Seungmin didn't know anything about skating. Even so, he let Hyunjin led whatever short program they're about to perform on the rink.

Aside from Chunhua, the first years already knew about Hyunjin's amazing talent. He told them during their science project because he's bored. Hyunjin casually showing off on ice felt more like a comeback for them, but fancier. It's a comebaqué.

Thanks to Hyunjin, almost everyone had forgotten Minho and Jisung's little quarrel. Everyone except those two.

Although having his mouth shut, Felix also noticed. Despite all the urge to comfort Jisung, he knew that this kind of conflict should be solved without additional hand. His presence alone might create further conflict or misunderstanding which can only worsen their relationship.

The thing about relationship, the good moments arrive first. Therefore both Jisung and Minho must be ready to face even the simplest obstacle together. When good things happened, only bad things are coming to them. Unless they could resolve the hardships together, things can only get worse.

The speakers blasted one of Straight Kids and Fox Army's favorite songs: Christmas Day, followed by Lonely Christmas by MONSTA D, which also happened to be the exact songs they desire to fulfill their Christmas needs.

Everyone on the rink started skating except from Walmart because she wanted to sleep.

They liked the way there were nobody else but them on the vast plain of ice. Everyone automatically skated in pairs to prevent themselves from falling. After all, skating together might reduce the chance of embarrassing yourself alone. When they were two, there's that person to blame. However with three, it became too many.

Hyunjin and Seungmin were already killing it on ice. Suddenly feeling competitive, Felix grabbed Changbin's hand and proceeded to outshine them. Felix, though, was surprisingly good at skating, all thanks to his ex in middle school for skating his heart into pieces.

On the sidelines, Chunhua and Jiwoo held hands, their legs trembling. Then there's Chan who's busy encouraging the fearful Jeongin to try. Jeongin only forced a smile, though he didn't have enough bravery to set himself free like the others did.

Hearing the ambient melody signifying the vibes of a supposedly happy Christmas hour, Jisung pursed an artificial smile. He couldn't skate, thus he copied Jiwoo and Chunhua's method to hold the bar handle while sliding his feet onto the cold ice, trying his best not to fall.

"I won't fall. I won't fall. I won't fall," he chanted those words faster than Carat during Hit comeback stage. "I have Jeongin as my lockscreen, I won't fall. No, I mustn't fall." Slowly, his sadness began to fade away and replaced with fear. He didn't know whether it's a good thing or not.

However, actions speak louder than words. Sooner or later, the boy fell on his ass. And boy... that shit ain't fun.

When he was busy comprehending with reality, a hand reached out for him to support. Pretending to be cool, Jisung mumbled an excuse like "I was doing it on purpose. You see... I suddenly have the urge to hug the ice. The ice needs comfort too..." or something amongst those lines.

The boy was ignored, hence he just grabbed his savior's hand with an awkward smile because he's too embarrassed.

As it turned out, his so-called savior was actually Lee Minho.

Oh.

Minho hasn't yet spoken this whole time. Chan's prior warning seemed to work out successfully, considering Minho looked like he's been stitched on the mouth. He truly regretted bringing up Jumin's wealth to Jisung's condition. It's not like Jisung chose to be born with a silver spoon.

They skated in complete silence with Minho guiding Jisung with their hands intertwined. Little did Jisung know that Minho was as good as Hyunjin when it comes to skating. Of course he didn't know. They didn't go to the same middle school after all.

It went awkward at first, but little by little, they started to let things loose with their mouths remained shut. Perhaps it's better this way for now. Minho prayed that this awful silence would remain temporary, as things should be.

Although Jisung had insisted on just staying on the sidelines and letting Minho skate as fast as he wanted, Minho wouldn't have it. He insisted to teach Jisung how to skate and Jisung stupidly agreed. He didn't know why, but he nodded his head regardless. He'd fallen on his ass so many times, and embarrassed both him and Minho—still he thought that he's starting to get a hang of it.

Which he's not.

It's crazy how they managed to communicate with only body languages and vague facial expressions. They didn't talk, yet they felt more alive than when they're talking. It felt like Minho's earlier tantrum and Jisung's dejection had been washed away on thick ice.

When words cut like knives do, sometimes the best thing one can do is to stay silent. Indeed, staying silent won't ever extinguish the raging flames, but it still put you on ease somehow.

Just temporary, as things should be.

┉┉


	48. 47

Minho looked pale.

No one was aware of Minho's condition until he started acting strangely during the skating process. The boy claimed to have unexpected fatigue, thus everyone rushed to help him, then Jiwoo drove him back to the cottage with Jisung. He only said he needed a rest and it wasn't a big deal.

It was a huge relief to know that Minho indeed just needed a rest.

The vacation continued the next day without Minho, Jisung, Chunhua, and Walmart. Minho's sick, Chunhua had menstrual cramp, Jisung's taking care of Minho, and Walmart's taking care the rest of them because apparently Jisung can't cook. Not like he can't, it's just he never attempted to cook any type of dish, including water.

To be honest, Jiwoo wanted to stay at Chunhua's side too. However, doing that would result in having someone else driving the car which seemed iffy and dangerous at the same time.

"You never told me about your low blood sugar levels," Jisung said, pouting his lips which Minho couldn't see with his eyes closed.

"That's why I'm telling you now." The older switched positions for the fifth time that morning.

Jisung was so worried when he felt Minho fell against his arms yesterday, he even pushed his anger away from whatever's external conflict they previously had. The couple hadn't talked through their problems since then, although now it's not the time to worry about that.

"You should eat more nutritional balance meals," the blonde mumbled. Being raised in a rich household, having proper meals has always been taught to him since his childhood days.

Minho grumbled like a little kid, "I only eat what I wanna eat."

"It doesn't work that way," he whined. This was the first time he felt more mature than the older. "A person who is eating a diet that's nutritionally inadequate or not getting enough to eat may experience mood changes in response to fluctuating blood sugar levels and malnourishment," he quoted from Google.

Ah, perhaps this is why he's so grumpy, a thought danced in his mind as he scrolled down the article.

"Sung-ie, stop lecturing me. I wanna sleep," Minho demanded, shifting again.

Sung-ie.

Jisung pursed a satisfied smile. Sung-ie... he really liked the nickname. In fact, he loved hearing that nickname from Minho's mouth. It didn't sound extravagant or special. For Jisung, that nickname felt like home; very warm, welcoming, and full of memories.

"Rest well, meow!" The blonde had no idea what kind of sound he had produced when meowed, but he couldn't care less. Gently, he moved closer to Minho's side, kneeling to the body lying next to him without a sound. Then he placed a soft kiss on his forehead, his fingers combed through the dark locks, caressing each strands like he's combing baby's head. Minho's hair felt soft against his skin. He loved it so much.

Meanwhile Minho tried his best to act natural. The kiss startled him to the point he couldn't move at all. Stiff as a board, he let the younger do whatever he wanted with his hair. It's not like he's not enjoying it, especially when his lips made contact with his forehead, radiating warmth to his whole body. Jisung had no idea the way Minho was struggling to compose his insides.

His eyes remained shut, he feared to open them. Jisung liked it this way, though. It'd feel awkward if Minho opened his eyes.

"Laterz~" the blonde mused, leaving Minho alone in their room with his cheeks red as the color of Tomato Kim's hair.

The moment he heard the door shut, Minho could only let out faint cusses.

On the other side, Jisung did a fantastic triple axle before jogging to the girls' room while humming to Coraline's theme song. His mood had somewhat been lifted and now he's thinking about lifting Chunhua's mood since she's on her period. Get yourself a piece of Han Jisung.

┉┉

"Have you ever experienced that side of Minho?" the blonde questioned, "you know... the sudden anger outbursts. The Minho who's not the usual Minho—have you experienced it?" At this point, Jisung was basically shooting questions to Chunhua whose head had already been spinning due to inexplicable abdominal pain.

Chunhua cocked an eyebrow in a confusing manner. "I don't think so. To be honest, we never fight."

Walmart's already sitting between them, shoveling sugar-drenched pretzels into her mouth. She almost asked them about Minho's strange behavior, but she couldn't think a way to bring it up without being maladroit. After all, the whole relationship talk was clearly out of her league as she had never experienced such lifestyle.

"You guys never fight? That's amazing," Jisung gasped, not so consciously stole one of Walmart's scrumptious pretzels. "Why did you two break up then?"

"One sided love."

"How so?" Jisung grabbed another piece of pretzel only to have his hand swatted away by the angry Walmart.

Chunhua shrugged. "We're both cool until he started having friends. I think what he needed back then was friends, not lover."

"Ah, I get it." Jisung nodded. "I thought he dumped you or something which is stupid because you're like—the prettiest girl I've ever met. Well, besides Hwasa—you're very beautiful."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Chunhua smiled genuinely.

Throughout her entire life, many people had mentioned about her pretty face or her body goals-like physique, but to her those compliments sounded as if they're also seeking for feedbacks. She could fathom their ulterior motives and found them unpleasant.

It's like having people commenting how pretty you are in a single post because they're expecting to receive a reply like "Don't say that, you're prettier" or something like that in return. Chunhua had encountered those moments many times in her life to the point she felt like her beauty was exploited by numerous people.

However with Jisung, she could discern the sincerity in the way he talked. His bluntness reflected the way he's raised with males surrounding him, and males are usually more blunt. She found his honesty very precious, that's why he's perfect for an ambiguous person like Minho.

Minho can be smooth like snakes, he can be dense and kind of stupid, he can also be the inspirational big brother. Furthermore, he's a guy with unpredictable charms which can only be seen by a certain person whom he trust the most. He's a liar, yet Jisung managed to bring out the innermost side of him and caused trouble.

Minho was a liar. Jisung made him more honest to himself—whether he liked it or not.

Chunhua admitted, "You know... I really ship you and Minho together."

"And I really ship you and Jiwoo together."

Meanwhile Walmart kept eating snacks because she didn't find a way to butt in with this conversation. She just casually listened and took notes once a while in case she needed their advice in the future. She learned from their experience.

"Frankly, I was terrified when he started yelling, especially saying those horrible things. I hate it because I know it's not the Minho I know. The Minho I know would never associate my wellbeing with my parents' wealth. He's being a jerk," Jisung confided his feelings. He fiddled with his fingers as he talked. "I'm afraid that he's gonna end our relationship that time. I wanna let him know, but I couldn't."

"Maybe he's overreacting due to the lack of blood sugar levels?" Chunhua guessed.

"Maybe." He lied his body on Chunhua's mattress. "Still... I don't like it when we fight."

"No one likes to fight, but that's just life," Chunhua said, slurping her favorite Starbucks drink. "Every couple fights once in a while. Some couples fight everyday, it depends. Just look at the bright side, it means you two are progressing."

"Have you been in a fight with Jiwoo?"

"Plenty." The girl recalled every fights they had; from simple matters like choosing the wrong bubblegum flavor to a more complex problem called misunderstanding. "Trust me, the bond feels stronger after you've resolved the conflict."

Of course. The boy took a moment of silence to recollected the fights he used to have with his father, and the way their bond became stronger after the talk. Most of the fights they shared were unresolved—they didn't talk them through which resulted in further conflicts and grudges. Nonetheless after they tried to understand each other's boat, the fogs faded away. The scenery became clear. They found beauty in discoloration, in differences, in diversity.

"Gosh, I feel so awkward here," Walmart finally admitted before stuffing so many pretzels into her mouth to avoid questioning and weird stares.

Chunhua made a whining sound. "I hope you'll find a girlfriend soon." Jisung agreed, attempting to steal one of her snacks which unfortunately failed again.

"Too bad no one wants to be my girlfriend."

"If I'm not gay, I'd definitely swing to you."

"And if I'm not straight, I'd definitely swing to you as well," Chunhua added.

"Sheesh, okay. I get it." Walmart let out several incoherent giggling. All kinds of cheery, she found Chunhua and Jisung's effort to cheer her up very cute in any sort of ways. She's glad to be friends with them.

Jisung too. From the beginning, he rarely talk to people from the opposite sex. Now that these two had converted their religion to Jeonginism, they found a way to get closer.

It's kind of a funny story to be honest. A rich, extroverted boy like Jisung befriended a girl whom his boyfriend used to date and a girl who used to hang out with the most annoying girl ever.

"By the way, I'm gonna cook lunch. You two should rest and don't even think of going to the kitchen—" Her eyes landed on Jisung's. "I bet you'll burn this place to ashes, so stay put."

Chuckling, the blonde hummed jokingly. "Fine, Chef." A thought about Minho flashed on his mind all of a sudden. "Make sure the food will do justice to Minho's body. That bastard seriously needs to eat properly."

"Sure thing." With that, she leaped her ways to the kitchen as Jisung headed back to his room.

┉┉

Jisung couldn't help but smile when he saw Minho's peaceful body lying on the queen sized bed. He tried his best to stay as silent as possible while he scooted closer to the sleeping body. His feet made hollow sounds on the glossy planks of a brand new laminated flooring. The walls surrounding him were painted beige, yet they tend to appeared tan from certain points of view, matching the bed frame which is clever and boring at the same time. But either way, that particular room felt very welcoming—more like home to him, especially when there's Minho.

He reached for the bed that Minho's sleeping on, then lied beside him, face-to-face. He could feel Minho's steady breath brushing on his skin, radiating warmth and a little smell in between.

Jisung decided to not disturb the boy. Silently, he yanked his phone to his face.

Jisung  
watchu up to?

Eunwoo  
Nothing much

Jisung  
don't lie 😑

Eunwoo  
You're getting better at detecting lies. btw i miss u Jesus

Eunwoo  
*Jisung. fck autocorrect

Jisung  
u good fam?

Eunwoo  
Yeah... just busy fingering my boyfrienf

Jisung  
wtf?! how can u answer my texts then?

Eunwoo  
multitasking. i havr 2 hansd

Jisung  
bYE

"That crazy motherfucker," he mumbled underneath his breath. He then switched his attention back to Minho.

The more he paid attention to the older, the more captivated he became. Minho looked so good in every circumstances, even when he's sleeping. His beauty drawn him to the point his face flushed red after realizing how close their faces were.

His fingers found their ways to Minho's soft hair, combing each strands lightly, allowing his fingers to relish every part of his beauty. Never he would've realized how relaxing it is to have Minho's dandruff against his skin, though it was slightly disturbing.

Jisung sighed. "What's wrong with you, huh? You've been acting strange lately," he rambled. He was pretty much talking to himself. "I don't like this tension. Even when we're acting lovey dovey, I still think you're not being completely honest to me. I don't like it. I don't like it at all..."

"I want to understand you better," He let the words flowed like river.

The blonde let his emotions consumed him. His words were no longer the so-called 'faint whispers'. The words raged, getting louder and louder as he spoke. He was frustrated.

He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts until he began to overlook the situation he's in. Seconds later, the boy whose body's only inches away from him started to gain consciousness. The moment his eyes fluttered open, guilt immediately rushed through his body. He knew he owed an explanation to the younger.

"I envy you." His voice hoarse.

┉┉


	49. 48

"I envy you."

"Not surprised." Jisung's gaze fell on the guy in front of him again. "But I'm kinda surprised you're awake."

"Can't sleep. I'd rather talk to you." Minho softened his already soft facial expression, his lips quivered. "I was low-key scared when you started talking to yourself."

"Well, I need advice from a real ass bitch since you're being such a hard headed birdbrain."

"I'm sorry."

From the corner of his eyes, Jisung knew Minho was feeling guilty; absolutely, inarguably guilty. Jisung didn't like the fact that he's constantly feeling guilty. However, he needed to. He should be.

Jisung closed his eyes, still lying on the bed. "I don't need your apologies. I need your honesty."

"Right." He sat up straight, face to face with the beige wall.

"Was it the kiss?"

Jealousy. One of the most complex emotions stretched from many factors, mainly due to low self-esteem which triggers constant fear of losing one's position or ownership. Happens a lot of time, especially when one's relationship is on the line. A trouble faced by everyone almost everyday. Usually jealousy is portrayed as a cute human trait in cliché novels, but in reality it's not.

In reality, jealousy is one of the biggest root of all evils. Just like how Cain killed Abel in the first testament, jealousy is indeed very dangerous. At least that's how Jisung portrayed it.

The thought of Minho being envious made him sad because it meant the latter didn't have enough faith in them. He didn't trust their relationship enough, it's heartbreaking. Still, he might be over thinking. Quickly, he brushed those negative thoughts away. He believed Minho would have a good reason for it.

Minho knew well he shouldn't lie. "Yes, but actually no." Somehow, his nervousness began to rise. "The kiss was sorta intriguing, though it wasn't the main reason." He gulped his own spit.

"Really?" The blonde cocked his eyebrows questioningly. "I wouldn't be surprised about the kiss—"

"I overheard your conversation with Chan the other night."

"Which o—" Jisung shot his eyes open. He later regretted his decision because the light immediately attacked his eyes to the point he was seeing after images, just to his discomfort. He was so shocked, he wouldn't have expected Minho to say that. "Um... I don't think that's something to be jealous about," he said.

"Are you okay?" he asked out of the blue.

"Yes, but actually no."

Both of them took moment of silence. No longer lying on the bed, Jisung found his way to his bag, ripping out the package of his favorite St. Eriks potato chips which happened to be the world's most expensive potato chips in the industry snacks drenched in oil and preservatives.

"I wanna help you," Minho proposed an idea.

Again, the younger could only cock an eyebrow. "Why though? Do I need help?" he asked himself.

Do I need help? Jisung was confused as well.

The older scooted closer, his hands swiftly grabbed a good amount of chips, then retreated. Eyes wide open, he was dead serious. "I wanna help you find your mother," he whispered before eating the chips.

Jisung only stayed silent. He had no idea on how to respond to that.

Minho took his silence as his cue to go on. "I—I envy you for still having your mother alive somewhere, thus it itches me when you're not reacting optimistically," he said. "I want you to live with a complete family, so please... let me help you."

Really? That's it?

"Hyung, there's nothing to be jealous about," he ensured. "This is not about me. This is about my dad, that's why I hesitated. I don't care about my feelings, I just want my family to be happy. Whether it's completed or not, I want everyone to be happy and that'd make make me the happiest child in the world."

Minho protested, "But it's your own mother! We need to find her now before things got worse. We never know—"

"Shut the fuck up, I know." Jisung sighed, calming the boy. "It's my family, not yours. After all, if she truly belongs here, she will find her way to us one day."

The older bit his inner cheeks. "I'm sorry for crossing the boundaries."

"I don't need your apologies." The sound of regret in Minho's voice irritated him. "If you're really sorry, what about a family date in your house? I need to be close to your family too, you know..." A blush crept onto his cheeks. Minho blushed too when he understood what he meant.

"Of course, Sung-ie!" He hugged the said boy without warning. He was so happy, he almost choked his boyfriend to death. Fortunately, he's not that horrible.

"F-fuck!" Jisung was struggling to breathe to the point he had to forcefully pushed the boy away in order to stay alive. "Goddamnit, give me warning next fucking time. Oh... and never judge my outfit again!" He put an emphasis to it. "I don't dress to impress. I dress to depress. I look so good, I make people hate themselves," he said with attitude.

Minho let out a saucy laugh. "You're right. I guess I'm also jealous with your wealth."

"For fuck's sake, stop it with the jealousy and embrace the gay!" He know those two didn't have any correlation, not that he cared. "What do you want? Clothes? Make up? Skin care products? Books? Electronics? Concert tickets? Pets? Organs? Corpse? Say it and I'll buy those things for you."

Minho's eyes were shining, shimmering, splendid by hearing Jisung's words. He was left speechless, although next time he promised that he won't be silenced because no one can keep him quiet, won't tremble when they tried it...

He grinned. "Yeeheey, I want matching rings fo—"

"SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!" Changbin suddenly appeared out of nowhere, kicking the door like a true taekwondo grandmaster.

Jisung and Minho looked to the direction of the intruder, unamused. There they saw Changbin—no, SporeB, with a can of beer on his left hand, all drunk as ever. Following him was Felix, face desperate as a potato chip. It seemed like he's attempting an exorcism to the drunken SporeB.

Jisung was beyond disappointed. "Why are you here? Aren't you guys supposed to be out until..." He tried to guess a number, "ten?"

The Australian wiped his sweat. "Yeah, but we forgot Binnie's a lightweight and this happened." With force, he dropped kick the can of bear with its content onto the wooden floor, then quickly pulled both of SporeB's wrists, put in on his back, and finally handcuffed them. It was one hell of an effort. "Seungmin wasn't so happy when he discovered Binnie's state, so Hyunjin decided to take him on an date with him and Jeongin to make sure it stays PG 13."

Felix remembered when they first open the door. Out of nowhere, SporeB yeeted to the girls' room and asked Chunhua to kiss her.

"Kiss me," SporeB ordered. His lips pouting stupidly.

"No, that's gay," she replied before closing the door with her usual 'what the fuck' expression.

"What is y—your ideal type of date?" SporeB randomly shot a question. Hiccups following afterwards.

Jisung cringed. "DD/MM/YYYY. Other formats can be confusing." He didn't have time for this. "Eh, why don't you two fuck while Minho-hyung and I eat Walmart's cooking?"

Grabbing Minho's wrist, he pulled the older to the kitchen. Walmart was already done with the cooking, therefore they could indulge the dish altogether. At this point, Minho had forgotten about his headache due to witnessing his roommate's stupidity.

A couple of minutes later, Chan and Jiwoo came to grab a piece of Walmart's cooking. They didn't know what she's cooking, but it's delicious. That's the only thing that mattered.

To shift his attention, Jisung bombarded Chan with questions about his past with Woojin. In every topics they came across, Minho's hand would find their way to Jisung's nape, massaging it gently and planting soft kisses ever so often.

There were times where Minho's inner cat side summoned itself. He only planned to give him soft kisses while he's talking to Chan, yet his kisses began to change. There had been several upgrades; from a peck to a bite. Minho was unconsciously biting the younger's exposed skin. His lips trailed from his left arm, up to his neck. Jisung winced the moment Minho's teeth made contact with his skin.

"Wait, so Woojin-hyung is actually single?" Jisung kept Chan's busy with his conversation to make sure he didn't shift his attention to Minho's questioning behavior.

Chan replied, "Actually they used to date... in club penguin." Chan let out a chuckle. "Before his parent's disowned him, he often played club penguin and continuously flirted with another penguin with a membership." Everyone including Jisung knew that club penguin is every cultured people's childhood. It was famous at its era back then.

"Oh, w—wow..." He tried to suppressed wincing noises from his mouth as he spoke. As a person whom spent his club penguin days in the Dojo, he couldn't understand how people actually flirt with others without knowing the player's true identity.

Chan and Jisung continued talking while Minho continued biting his boyfriend, asking for attention. Jisung was beyond concerned. At times he would ruffled the boy's hair, signaling him to not let his inner cat personality overpowered him, though it's already too late.

Walmart was greatly bewildered when he saw Minho's action. Let's just say that she wished to not see with her eyes. She felt like watching porn in open space, hence she rushed to the bathroom to cleanse her eyes before the darkness took over her mind and body.

"I have Jeongin as my lock screen, therefore I am innocent!" she chanted before gargling a little too dramatically.

Rule number 1: If a person enters Fox Army, they must banish all kinds of beliefs and completely surrender thyself. Their religion must be Jeonginism and only Jeonginism. Once you Jeongin, you can't Jeongout. Therefore to strengthen your mind and soul, every Fox Army member MUST use a picture of Yang Jeongin for their lock screen. It's an absolute rule created by society. Thou shalt love thy savior, Jeongin, as thyself.

She then went back to her room to sleep, of course after a series of prayer. It was one hell of a sight.

┉┉

For Straight Kids and the three other new friends, the winter vacation was fun, weird too, but overall very eye-opening. They spent the rest of the week doing group dates, visiting multiple overpriced shops, and several others. Chan's wallet was definitely writhing in agony, yet he knew he's not going broke. He's too rich to be broke.

So much tea had been spilled throughout their whole journey. They indeed had secrets to be told and ears waiting to hear nothing but the tea.

They got two missions: bring Woojin back to their chaotic squad and making sure Chan wasn't seeing things when he claimed to have witnessed Jisung's mom. By this stage, Jisung was getting more and more pessimistic about his mother being alive, especially when he had no intention on bringing her back.

It was ironic since she's the first person who made him happy. She's his mother. They did things together, laughing and playing behind Jumin's back. Sometimes they would troll the house workers. One of the former house worker in the Han's mansion, Kim Jongdae, used to work there before he got married and he was one of their trolling victim. Good days.

The way Jisung didn't bother to believe Chan was quite surprising. It's not like he hated his mom. In fact, he loved her as she kept coming to his dreams, even though he never learned about her name and identity. Therefore, the day when he woke up without his mom was the worst day of his life because he wanted to believe he had a good mother. Until now, he refused to believe rumors about his mother's whereabouts and such. He believed he's raised by good people.

"Can I drive?" Felix requested from his back seat. They were currently on a car to return to each of their houses.

"No," Jiwoo said, his voice flat.

Felix whined, "But I'm a confident driver."

"You almost ran someone over yesterday!" Jiwoo's shot a glare to the latter before he went to the driver's seat. Jisung could only stared in awe. Never he would've considered Felix as a driver, except when a bumper car is mentioned. He's exceptionally good at crashing on other people's car.

"Confidently," he deadpanned.

Jisung's scooted to Felix's side just to gave him the sickest high five in the history of North Korea.

"Bro, I aspire to be as confident as you are." He bowed before going back to his previous sitting position. "By the way, where's my coat?"

"Talking about missing stuff," Seungmin trailed off, "where's my third phone?"

"Where's my bracket?" Jeongin joined in.

"Where's my pretzel?" Walmart also joined in.

"Where's my character development?"

"Binnie, you don't need character development. You are already perfect," Felix ruffled his bed hair.

The ride to Straight Kids' base camp was chaotic as ever. Everyone's having a food fight, whereas Felix and Jisung tried to do the sickest back flip inside of the car. Even the SeungJin couple was a mess. They were arguing on the best sex position which ended with a fist fight because they're too sexually frustrated to come up with a great argument. Jiwoo was too mentally drained to drive, he even decided to take a detour to McDonalds without them realizing.

"Missionary!"

"No, that shit is too basic. Doggy style is better!"

"That looks stupid. Even 69 is better than that weird position."

"No, 69 is out of my top three sex positions. It even ranks below spooning."

"Are you kidding me? 69 is not so bad."

"How do you know?"

"Just a hunch."

Interrupting their intense fight, an unfamiliar voice from outside startled them.

"Excuse me, Sir. This is McDonalds drive thru...

Jiwoo slammed his head on the steering wheel until his soul left his body. "I know and can I get a McFlurry?"

"MCDONALDS!" Except for Chan, everyone screamed loudly to Jiwoo's discomfort.

"Fuck y'all."

┉┉

"Thank you!" Minho waved as soon as he exited the car. Eunwoo handed him his three cats, cleaner and fresher than before. "I'll see you around, I guess. Have a nice holiday!"

The younger waved happily too. "You too, Hyung. I love you!"

With that being said, he told Eunwoo to drive back to the Han's mansion, leaving a blushing Minho behind. Jisung chuckled. He then grabbed his phone to secretly took a picture of a flushed Minho. He looked so cute, he immediately used the newly captured picture as his phone's wallpaper because he already had Jeongin for his lock screen.

He renamed the picture from random numbers to 'True Beauty' because Minho's indeed a very beautiful person.

"Stop smiling on your own, you're making me jealous," Eunwoo teased. It's surely been a while without Eunwoo's presence, the boys truly missed each other.

They didn't know how much they needed each other until they're separated. For Jisung, Eunwoo's like his big brother and for Eunwoo, Jisung would always be his baby brother. Not related by blood, yet related by time and experience. They're inseparable.

On the other hand, Jisung was both excited and nervous about his family holiday. This month would be the first time he actually went to a vacation with Jumin. Truthfully, they had done this sort of things quite often. However, this one felt different...

... because now, he's in a good relationship with his father. Something he would've had imagined beforehand. Therefore, he promised to cherish every single moment with him.

This Christmas vacation meant a lot to Jisung. Not only that he got to understand his friends' better, he also managed to dig deep into Minho's heart. Now it's just the matter of family bonding.

Jisung was stoked. He had been waiting for this moment to happen. To be in a family; whether they shared the same bloodline or not, the word 'family' gave a brand new meaning to his life.

Jisung needed to enjoy his family trip. He must. After having his friends sharing secrets with him, he needed a break, because once his vacation's over. Once he went back to his normal life; his colorful, so-called normal life.

Nothing would be normal anymore.

┉┉


	50. 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special Chapter: ChangLix Eddition.

"Christopherina-chan?"

Felix went silent for a second. His fingers casually twirled around his favorite purple Jetstream. "Bro, are you with Chan-hyung?"

Jisung sounded semi-pissed. "Isn't this suppose to be a family holiday? Why's there a kangaroo?" He's clearly speaking to another person. "Sorry, Bro. I was planning to spend my time talking to you before take off and suddenly but mood drops ever since this wildlife showed up."

Felix chuckled. "It's okay, Bro. Talk to me whenever you feel like it. My freckles and my dick are always ready to cancel a bitch."

"Thanks," he said. "Love you, but no homo. Bye!"

"Bye!" Felix chuckled, ending the call, then proceeded his Studio Ghibli marathon alone in his house.

Felix was having the time of his life with his parents absence due to his neighbors marriage. At first, he was far beyond the word 'happy' because he was also invited to the wedding. However, with years of experience, he somehow managed to run away without leaving a trace. Although he only went home, no one suspected that idea for no reason.

It's been hours since Felix called Jisung and he hadn't move one bit from his couch. Caramel pop corn on his lap, iced lemon tea on his side—near his Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book, several different bags of chips on the table in front of him, cheese sticks scattering around the couch, and Grave of the Fireflies playing on his large television. Although Felix had prepared everything he could and should have needed, he felt like he was missing something very important.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath as the scene grew more and more depressing.

He forgot to bring the tissues.

He was thinking about pausing the movie to grab the tissues, but then quickly discarded the idea. First, he didn't want to ruin the atmosphere the movie had created. Second, he's out of tissues. There's no way he's willing to buy tissues at this point, no way. It's too risky. Therefore, his last option was to bear what's bearable and ignore the unbearable. It wasn't easy, yet he managed to pull it through.

Of course, his face looked swollen due to excessive amount of emotional roller-coaster the movie had given him.

"No more slushies." The Australian immediately turned off his television for his own good.

Less depressy, more progressy, or so he mentally declared.

He tried to clean the house, but his tears wouldn't stop flooding the carpet. He tried to do push ups, but his limbs failed him. He tried watching funny videos, but the scene from Grave of the Fireflies was all that he could see. He even tried blinking properly, yet only tears fell. At this stage, Felix realized that he wouldn't be the same Felix anymore.

His last option was to eat. He knew how bad stress eating is, but he didn't have a choice. The boy had eaten so many snacks during the movie marathon, meaning that the fridge was his last window of opportunity.

Unfortunately, no food was seen. It was nothing but a futile effort.

"I hate it when I open the fridge and realize I'm the only snack at home," he complained before shutting the fridge a little too melodramatically.

Felix went to the bathroom to examine his swollen face. He then grabbed a clean washcloth and wetted it with cool water. Using gentle pressure, he applied the wet washcloth to his skin under and around his eyes for a few minutes. To kill time, he decided to sing in hopes of lighten up the mood.

"If you're sad and you know it clap your hands!" The boy clapped his feet instead of his hands.

"If you're sad and you know it clap your hands!"

Clap. Clap.

"If you're stressy and depressy and your life is kinda messy, if you are sad and you know it clap your hands!"

Clap. Clap.

He was about to sing another jam until the sound of someone repeatedly knocking on his door disturbed him.

Felix quickly dumped the washcloth and headed to the door. He yelled, "Use the bell!"

"There's no—"

"Use the bell!"

The person behind Felix's door hesitated for a second before he said, "Ding dong!" with his mouth because there's no bell.

Not wasting another second, Felix swung the door open as it revealed a jolly looking Changbin.

Changbin's smile immediately dropped when he saw the look on Felix's face; swollen eyes, runny nose, and unreadable expression. He didn't know what caused this mess, nor who the fuck did this to his Felix, hence he could only feel sympathetic to the boy in front of him.

Placing his hand on Felix's cheek, Changbin questioned, "Lixie, have you been crying?"

"Yes, but it's not a biggie," he ensured. His words contained nothing but the truth. Indeed, he had been crying, also it's not a big deal since there's no one to blame.

"Don't lie. Your eyes are—"

Felix snapped, "If I said it's not a biggie, then it's not a biggie! What's the point of doubting my answer when you're the one asking questions?! For fuck's sake, I need a snack." Stealing looks from Changbin, he wondered out loud, "I want someone to take me on a date. No, I wish someone would take me on a date."

The raven haired boy was starting to understand the code. "Like on a date or with a sniper rifle?"

Felix pursed a satisfied smile. "Surprise me."

With that being said, the two went on a date with a sniper rifle. Many people ran away the moment they saw a sniper being held in public despite they didn't have any ammo to fire the weapon. In conclusion, it's a harmless weapon unless they decided to smash it to people's head—which they wouldn't. In fact, Felix would love to do that with his best friend, not with Changbin. Committing crime seemed more gruesome and exciting when no lovers are included.

It's been months since they started dating, yet Felix felt somewhat empty. They both knew how much they're whipped for each other from the way they kept stealing glances, even in crowded space. In spite of everything, neither one of them had confessed their overflowing feelings toward each other. Their relationship was kind of undecided and unclear. Although they were comfortable together, Felix felt like there's a need for their relationship to be officially declared. Right now, every actions seemed ambiguous as it shouldn't have been.

Since Changbin didn't seem like he would ask him out soon, Felix wanted to took this opportunity to ask Changbin out instead. He wanted to take the lead.

Both of them walked in silence to downtown. Cold breeze accompanied them each step of the way, not that it bothered them at the very least. They walked amongst different shops: from clothing to coffee shop, all decorated with cute Christmas ornaments that made them looked more neighborly than usual, which Felix thought was cute.

People walked from different directions, mostly in pair. They walked passed them; some were too giddy to whatever's conversation they're having with their companion, while some others sprinted in silence as they were met with Changbin's sniper. The way Changbin was holding it made it looked like a toy gun, though it wasn't. Felix couldn't help but giggle with the sight. He looked unnecessary adorable to Felix's enjoyment.

The shorter felt somewhat intrigued with Felix's questionable action. "What's so funny?" he asked in a salty manner.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Whatever." Changbin didn't want to push his buttons any longer. "By the way, we haven't decided which place we'd like to visit."

"Oh, I completely forgot about that." Yes, the two actually forgot they're on a date, meaning that they had been walking around aimlessly, without a destination planned ahead.

"I'm kinda hungry," Changbin admitted. "Do you prefer Asian restaurant or non-Asian restaurant?"

"Asian," he stated to Changbin's satisfaction. "But..." he trailed off, "I don't trust an Asian restaurant unless there's a fish tank and a random Asian children sitting in one of the booths, playing an iPad unsupervised." He clicked his fingers. This was the first time he ate something that's not fast food after a while.

Magically, they managed to find their preferred destination. About five shops from their previous spot, there they saw a small establishment—without much of a Christmas nuance surrounding.

They walked in, ordered, ate, and lastly, it was already time to for the deep talk.

"Binnie," the Australian called after finishing his tea.

"Hm?" He turned his attention to Felix.

Without further ado, Felix pulled Changbin into a kiss. Changbin froze in gay panic, before finally relaxing in response of feeling Felix's warm lips on his own. Changbin returned the kiss to the owner of the lips softly with his eyes completely shut.

Felix couldn't help but blush, though he was the one to initiate the kiss. For both of them, kissing wasn't much of a deal since they had kissed occasionally. However, this one's different. No liquor included, just the two of them. Thus far, it's the most affectionate act the two had performed consciously.

It's just a kiss. Still, the aftertaste of milk tea from Changbin's mouth, and so was the smell of cheap cologne from Felix's body made them feel feverish. The older could feel Felix smiling to the kiss. Upon feeling pain for kissing in such uncomfortable position, they broke the kiss for their own good.

Changbin licked his lips. "I think your cheap cologne is my new aesthetic."

To be honest, Changbin had always liked the younger boy's cologne. It's a cheap cologne, but the smell's really good, especially on Felix. It suited him.

Felix smiled. His freckles gave him a signal that everything went well, that Changbin genuinely enjoyed the kiss.

"Wanna be my boyfriend?" Felix asked gay-forwardly. It was a spontaneous question he's been dreading to ask ever since the older yelled "ding dong" in front of his house.

Utterly surprised, the raven impulsively moved the sniper to Felix's heart. Felix's eyes widened before realizing that the weapon's empty.

Changbin gathered his courage to reply what he had been meaning to say. "Roses are red, violets are blue...  
I have a gun and I’m taking you."

"Holy shit!"

Felix hugged the sniper in response of complete excitement. First things first, Changbin agreed. Second, his reply was too awesome for Felix to handle.

Changbin handed his weapon to Felix as if it was a birthday gift. "I'd let you handle my weapon anytime you want." He didn't realize how ambiguous those words were, Felix did though. It was embarrassing.

Happy as ever, the two paid their meals and stormed around the shops, buying cheap colognes, cheap toys, and other cheap stuff before they eventually arrived home.

Stupid enough, they decided to watch Grave of the Fireflies at Felix's place until they bawled their eyes out. As they were too preoccupied in the middle of their saddest moment together, Felix's parents arrived home with the most unamused expression they could ever pull off.

"WHO IS THAT BOY AND WHY IS HE HOLDING A SNIPER?!"

┉┉


	51. 50

Jisung had been ignoring Chan the moment he felt the older's steady breathing from the back of his head. He knew Chan was trying to get his attention, yet the more he tried, the more anxious Jisung became. Chan's breath felt so hot against his skin and it's stressing him out.

He had no choice.

Turning his body, Jisung stared at him from the top of his head, down to his body, until his eyes met the latter's groin.

"That's an ugly pattern you have down there." Jisung pointed at Chan's covered manhood. Blue patterns surrounding his red Louis Vuitton pajama pants that didn't suit his top. What intrigued him the most was that the patterns looked like freaking Sharingan.

The older's cheeks flushed madly upon hearing Jisung's statement. He immediately covered his groin, although there's nothing to be covered. Well, there's obviously something to be covered, but it's already covered. He's not naked after all. Unless...

Jisung took a breath of silence. "You're lucky I am mentally stable or else I'd lost my shit." He clapped his hands twice, then Eunwoo came out of nowhere with a box of aromatics. "That one," he pointed at one of the scented candle, "coconut and lime."

Setting up the best atmosphere, Eunwoo lit up the coconut and lime scented candle amongst the tension. On a mere second, sweet, sour fragrance danced into their nostrils. The smell of humanity teasingly grazed their senses, as Eunwoo slowly changed position so he could massage Jisung's shoulders.

Chan broke the silence. "Love this smell."

Jisung let out the rich madam's chuckle. "Coconut and lime," he explained, "this fresh, vibrant scent is guaranteed to energise the body and the mind and put a positive spin on any day."

"You're so good at advertising, you might get hired at this point," Eunwoo teased.

"Oh, cry me a table!"

Chan sweated a little. "Actually it's cry me—"

"I paid more attention to my boyfriend's ass than chemistry." Those words accidentally escaped from the blonde's mouth.

"Uh, what?"

"I promised someone to always be honest, yet I'm not supposed to be saying this to you." He face-palmed himself before blaming the candle. "I'm so good at fucking things up, I might start a business."

"Jisung." Chan finally raised himself, earning a curious look from both Jisung and Eunwoo. It took Jisung a while to stay focused ever since his man period attacked him this morning.

The younger didn't expect himself to be so annoying, yet he found himself in this situation; being in the same room with Chan, supposedly spending quality time with him whereas he could've spent the rest of the day with Jumin; bathing underneath the sunlight with Elizabeth the 3rd on his lap. Too bad summer hasn't show its peak yet.

Chan stared at him wide-eyed. "Let's surprise Woojin." The younger could see the sparkle reflecting on his eyes.

"Huh... uh, what?"

"Snap out of it." He snapped harder than Chungha and Thanos combined. "Are you even listening?" Both hands squished Jisung's cheeks in attempt to wake him. "Hey, are you here?"

He pulled the older's hands away. "Physically? Yes. Mentally? I'm in a renaissance panting a silk dress, staring wistfully into the distance." Having Chan's eyes pierced into his retina, the mentioned boy turned timid. "Sorry, it's just you're being very absurd right now."

"Absurd?" he questioned out of curiosity.

"Are you saying I would say yes to your request on sacrificing my family holiday to execute your egotistical plan on helping Woojin-hyung when we can just wait until this holiday is over?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Shit."

Jisung had no idea what drove him to say that, yet he stupidly agreed to Chan's plan which he regretted soon after. Unfortunately, he's too late. Chan had already gotten both of their father's agreement as he dragged Jisung and his personal driver to Wonho's residence.

"Do you need anything else?" asked Mr. Ryu (Chan's driver).

"Hit the gas," Chan simply ordered. Mr. Ryu complied at once. Jisung took Chan's arm and squeezed it tightly as if his life depends on it due to the increasing speed.

"Fuck! This is a terrible idea. I regret everything." He dramatically cried when Mr. Ryu made a quick turn at an intersection.

"No, listen." He peeled the blonde's hand away from his arm. "Your dad and my dad are actually unable to have a vacation because..." he hesitated for a bit, "I unintentionally heard my dad's talking about business stuff that's suppose to be happening now with your father as well."

Jisung rolled his eyes. "So?"

Chan continued, "So, I believe fate brought us here..."

"No, you dragged me," he denied.

"Kinda," he said, "if we don't get Woojin back right now, we will never get the chance to persuade him forever. We can't wait any longer."

"Why are you saying this now?"

Closing his eyes, Chan contemplated for a second. He already guessed that Jisung wouldn't buy his excuse, thus he prepared himself for the worst reaction.

"It's my Peter tingle." Good one Chaddy, he mentally praised himself.

Silence.

"The fuck?"

A mental hand slapped Chan's brain in embarrassment. "You know... the hunch. Come on, everyone has that moment where one just can't stop over thinking about a single aspect that keeps boggling into your mind like a parasite."

"Christopherina-chan, I am concerned."

Chan was getting restless. He felt like he needs to prove a point. No, more like he has to. This was the time where Chan realized that he's not good with words.

"Have you ever feel like something bad is going to happen? Can you sense it, though it's just you?"

Those words hits too close to home for Jisung's liking. His mind traveled back to the day when Chan told him that he probably saw his mother. Of course, he realized that's a mere probability. However, he couldn't possibly erase the thought of his mother being alive somewhere. Somewhere close.

It's a silly presumption, or so he thought at first. Nevertheless, he had a hunch. Something—no, someone warned him to take Chan's guess into consideration. Someone told him bad things would happen if that person Chan was talking about was indeed his mother.

That someone was Jisung.

He sensed trouble, although he was constantly accompanied with his beautiful mother on his sleep. Beautiful, happy memories played on his head again. A pleasant dream he wished to experience forever.

Guilt rushed through him whenever he considered he was happy enough.

Hunch. It was hunch. When you could sense the outcome of an occurrence without logical explanation by any chance, yet it's almost always proven to be correct. Jisung knew that very well.

"Will Woojin-hyung be okay?"

"Yes," Chan assured him. "Everything will be alright."

The younger tilted his head. "How can you be so confident about that?"

Chan answered, "Because sometimes when things get tough, denial is all we have."

To be frank, Jisung was expecting different answers such as, "you can't achieve anything without confidence," or, "to achieve is to believe." Nevertheless, he was pleased enough with the answer.

He was happy enough.

┉┉

"When will you come home, Auntie? I really miss you." Minho smiled to his phone while his three cats were sleeping peacefully on his lap.

"I promise I'll come today, so you better clean the house and cook something for me, okay."

"Sheesh, too much work," he joked. "Ah, finally I get to hug someone. You don't know how lonely I am without my Jisung-ie. He must be having a good time with his family."

"Kids these days are so whipped for each other," she said, chuckling. "I really miss my teenage years. Being horny 365 days a year was the greatest thing ever."

Minho pouted. "I'm not those kids these days, I'm eighteen."

"No, you are Lee Minho." She chuckled. "By the way my I'm running out of batteries. See you later!"

"Bye." He ended the call. For a moment, he had the will to clean his house. For a moment. Not anymore.

Minho decided ditch the housework to pet his cats.

"How much money do you think the Han's spend on monthly groceries?" he asked his sleeping cats which didn't seem to budge one bit. Hence he took this opportunity to continue rambling.

"I wonder how expensive is Sung-ie's underwear. Is it more expensive than my kidney?"

Again, the cats stayed silent as expected. He would probably leave the house, sprinkle his backyard with salt, then burn the neighborhood to ashes if the cats start talking.

Minho sighed. "Should I kidnap his underwear?" he asked the cats, "no, I will get caught in two seconds. I should just stick to the safe option, which is to lower his pants and peek a little when he's not paying attention."

A sudden heat rushed through his body and to his face.

"No, that's pornography." He slapped his face twice. "I need his consent. Ah, I think I'm at the horny 365 days a year stage."

On the spur of the moment, a knock was heard on his door. Minho had a panic attack due to the fact that his house was still a mess and there's no food on the table. Still, he managed to put up a genuine smile because it's a happy day.

His legs jumped, hands stretching to pick up the key. The moment the door opened, his smile dropped.

"Chunhua?"

At first, he tried to suppressed his emotions, but the look on Chunhua face was screaming at him to not joke around. Somehow he felt a tiny smidge of guilt, remembering that he had just had a conversation with his sleeping cats. Whatever that is, it has piqued Minho's curious nature and he wondered if she was just having a rough day or she's always this intense?

Pushing the cat toys away, he prepared the couch for both of them to sit. Chunhua sat beside him, fingers curled, her thumbs sticking out, rubbing one another anxiously. Her legs jumped on the spot restlessly, whereas Minho could only stare in confusion, waiting for her to talk.

"I had a fight with Hyunjin." She looked at Minho's eyes, embarrassed. "Sorry. I know it's childish, but can I stay here for a bit? It's... it's kinda awkward there."

"Sure thing." He prepared a cup of warm tea for her. "What happened?"

"Thank you." She gulped the contents a little to quickly, resulting a burning sensation on her tongue. "You know... the typical siblings fight. I know we'll be okay tomorrow, but not now."

"I see." Throughout his life, he never experienced the typical siblings fight. He didn't know the stupid little fights that would only last for a day. However, he's somewhat familiar with that based on people's story-telling habit.

"Chunhua, I've been really wanting to say this." Chunhua's head perked up upon hearing her name being called.

"What is it?"

Minho scratched his head awkwardly. "Why did you lie? The day when you transfered to our school, a little birdie told me that you said you came to Korea three days ago." He crossed his hands, legs up on his own table. "Why did you lie?"

Chunhua finally loosened up as she let out a loud laughter. "I just wanna sound foreign. Trust me, I don't have any ulterior motive behind that."

Minho smiled.

"Finally you're smiling." Happiness spreads like virus. "Jiwoo is lucky to have you."

"Jisung is also lucky to have you."

"No, I'm lucky to have him."

"Aw, you two are so cheesy. Are you on your horny 365 days a year stage?" she teased the older.

"Oh God, being horny 365 days a year is really a thing." He lied his back onto the couch, horny as ever, but not horny for Chunhua.

Chunhua's really glad to come here. "I miss you." Life hadn't been easy for her. She truly missed Minho. "It's not easy to adapt as someone's adoptive sister. Honestly, everything is like a train wreck now."

"You're right," he agreed. "Growing up is tougher than I thought it would've been."

"Yeah... I miss the old days." She sighed. Her mind flew back to the times where she first met Minho. For her, reminiscing was kind of a hobby she could never escape from. "Those days when I was still with you were all very wonderful. I miss them. I miss you too."

Minho went silent for a while. He agreed. Loneliness is indeed a pain in the ass.

"The saddest thing when you miss something is that you know there's nothing to be done." His words stabbed her sharper than knives. No, it's in fact closer to a double edged sword. "You have lost. That's why you feel incomplete."

I have someone I miss as well, therefore I have lost. I've lost time.

┉┉


	52. 51

"Woojin is missing?"

"Yup, that's for today's tea time," said Wonho as he took another sip of bubble tea.

Chan stood still, there's an uptight feeling in his stomach. Meanwhile, Jisung didn't pay any shit. He was too preoccupied in his phone call from the love of his life. Although he agreed to accompany Chan to get Woojin back, he's still holding grudges against Chan.

The saddest thing is the fact that they're looking for Woojin and they couldn't find him.

"Want some bubble tea?" Wonho offered to Chan. He politely declined the offer which led Jisung to grasp this opportunity. The boy was craving for some sweets, yet Minho was out of sight.

Jisung's eyes widen when he took a sip of the sweet beverage. "This shit fire," he claimed, then went back to his phone call as Chan only sighed.

Wonho gently pat his back. "What's wrong? It's okay, you can tell me."

At first, Chan was unsure whether he should share his story or not, but at the end he told him everything. He wasn't close with Wonho, but somehow he managed to open up to him. There's something about the older that made him feel warm and cozy.

"You guys lived together?" Wonho asked in disbelief, "I'm amazed. You're really incredible." The tone of his voice hinted a little bit of sarcasm, to which Chan couldn't understand.

The Australian tilted his head in a confusing manner. "Is there something I don't know?"

"How did you two meet?" the older questioned, looking serious as ever. He even dropped his bubble tea.

Chan felt a little uncomfortable with the growing tension between them. "He, uh... he came to my house."

"Why did you let him?"

"Because I felt bad for him?" he added, "I won't ever let a stranger enter my house, but I was still a precious little cotton candy back then." He cringed at his own words, though he's still a precious cotton candy inside.

Wonho acknowledged Chan's past behavior since he's also a precious cotton candy. "Don't tell me he said that he got kicked out from his household because his parents thought he was dating his neighbor, Hwall, and then his mother died..."

"Shit."

"Shit, indeed."

Now it's awkward.

The Australian was having a hard time coping with the situation he's facing. "Please tell me he's not lying. I don't know what to expect anymore at this stage." His nervousness had exceeded its limit. Nails anxiously tapping on the wooden table, legs bouncing, his body movements were pretty noticeable, even for Wonho.

"Actually..." Wonho explained, "that's the story of my life."

"What?"

"Hwall was my neighbor. Woojin came to me with another excuse back then, so we became friends. I didn't know he's taking advantage of my life's story to get along with the rich." Wonho was deep in thought before finishing his story. "I told him to fuck off and go back to Tomato Kim."

"DID YOU JUST MENTIONED TOMATO FUCKING KIM?!" Jisung barged in immediately. Before he got himself comfortable on Wonho's sofa, he told them to shut up while he's preparing his favorite tea.

He was about to sit after placing his tea on the glass table, but found himself screeching over a snake. The blonde ended up climbing onto Wonho's strong biceps and held it like his life depends on it.

Wonho quickly stood up. "William, don't scare the guests!" While he was scolding his snake, Jisung's arms and legs were wrapped on Wonho's body. He lifted Jisung's body as if he's a mere mosquito; a handsome one, of course.

Chan almost died of laughter due to Jisung's weakness and the name of Wonho's snake.

"Dude, why the fuck is there a snake in your house?" his voice sounded almost hoarse.

Calmly, Wonho grabbed his pet snake. "This is my pet snake. His name is William Snakespeare," he introduced Mr. Snakespeare to the guests. "I bought him on purpose so I can successfully kicked Woojin out of my household." His face looked over proud.

Oh, right. They were talking about Woojin.

"Spill it, sis." Jisung sat beside Wonho, pointing at his untouched cup of tea.

"I can't believe you guys have zero sense of reality." William Snakespeare slithered his way to Wonho's arms to convey his sympathy. "Woojin is the son of Tomato Kim; the problematic guy with issues. He had two wives. Each wives gave birth to a child: Woojin and Britney."

Both Chan and Jisung's were left speechless. How small their world could be? Even the smallest encounter could change the future.

Chan crossed his hands. "Stupid me," he mumbled. "I let my cousin date Woojin to save his identity and he's doing this behind my back? I feel so..." he struggled to get the right word out of his lips.

"... useless," Wonho finished.

"Yeah."

As the youngest one in the room, Jisung felt the need to lighten the atmosphere. He was usually the one who got supported by his friends. He was usually the one to cry on Eunwoo's chest. He was usually the one who depends on other, but now it's time to say sike. Jisung could feel his own character development merging inside him, he even broke the fourth wall by accident. Donald Trump was beyond the word triggered.

With his confidence boosted, Jisung grabbed Chan by his collar. Perhaps he's gone too far with his development.

"Listen, bitch. I know you're older than me and shit, but you know what sis? The word you've been dying to say out loud is not useless." He finished his tea before continuing his presidential speech. "Garlic bread sweetie, you just misspelled betrayed. Even a stupid sugar baby like me can understand it better than you—"

"—but,"

"Don't cut me, Cinderella! I mean Christopherina-chan. He's not worth your energy. He may be a dick, but I believe mine's bigger. I'm not asking you to pull off a blow job-hell no! That's Minho-hyung's job later. What I'm trying to say is, no matter how fucked up that family might be, I will always support your decision. I'll never leave you. Right now I'm not foreshadowing things, I'm only stating facts cause that's a king's job," he refrained the word 'king' like a true king. A king indeed.

Wonho could only clap. Chan didn't have any rebuttal to give. He was just shocked with Jisung's character development.

To be frank, Chan was glad to bring Jisung with him. The moment Jisung snapped, he realized how matured the younger had become.

"You've matured."

"And you've deteriorated."

Caw caw caw.

The younger turned his head to Wonho. "By the way, did you give Woojin a good kick?"

He shook his head. "What kick?"

"On the groin," he emphasized. "Did you break his penis?" That's a very mature question, he thought.

"Nah," Wonho declined. "I only told him that he's forgiven and then I kicked him out of my household. After all, I'm not mad at him. I'm simply disappointed."

Jisung couldn't believe how lenient Wonho is. If he's in Wonho's position, he would instruct William Snakespeare to poison Woojin's dick.

"Unbelievable. I don't think I can forgive him," said Chan.

Wonho nodded. "That's up to you. You don't have to forgive him if you don't want to. He made a mistake and I don't want to spend the rest of my life holding grudges upon him. I made mistakes too. You can't stop me from forgiving him."

"Although you'll end up hurting yourself?"

"Yes." He refrained, "even though I'll end up losing myself."

"Why?" Jisung didn't find any sense in Wonho's kindness.

Quietly he answered, "We were born to be real, not to be perfect. This is my punishment for running away from my dad."

Jisung and Chan inched forward to give Wonho the warmest group hug. That boy had suffered a lot, he deserved to make his own choices. Although they had been missing a lot of time, visiting Wonho's house was worth the time. At least the truth had been revealed. They both decided to forget Woojin. At the end he would reap what he had spread.

"Can I borrow your phone? I wanna tell Woojin one last thing," he asked Wonho. Wonho approved as he lent him his phone with Woojin's new number written on the dim screen.

Wonho  
hey, this is chan

you don't have to answer this message

i'm just thinking. do you remember when you first came to my house?

obv you don't, but at that time i was trying to solve a puzzle which my dad had given me, and i asked you to help me solve the damn puzzle

jokes on you, I've completed the puzzle

the completed puzzle pieces formed a picture of a clown and it reminds me of you

now fuck off

wonho deserves better ✨

"Thank you." He returned the phone to its rightful owner. "I think it's time for Jisung and I to go. Do you want to spend more time with us? You know... shopping and stuff?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I must decline," he rejected politely. "I promised William to look for his soulmate."

They nodded, although they're secretly wondering on how could a snake lives so luxuriously. The snake had a better life than the owner, yet not as luxurious as Elizabeth the 3rd. Talking about that cat, Jisung suddenly felt needy. He missed that fancy blue-eyed fur ball.

As Chan and Jisung took a step outside of Wonho's house, they had a reality check.

Oh, right. What now?

With Chan going back again to Wonho's house to poop, Jisung was left alone. A sigh escaped from his mouth when suddenly a call from the love of his life made his butt cheeks jiggle. No, he's not aroused and whatnots. His butt cheeks couldn't sense sexual tension.

"Han Jisung's online library service, would you like to check me out?" Jisung opened the phone conversation with a cheeky smile. Eyes sparkling in amusement.

"I already did," he giggled. "Do you have a minute? I want to ask you something."

Jisung screeched five octaves higher. "No no no. Not now. Talk to me in front of my face and family if you're thinking of proposing me. This place isn't fancy enough for such news." He hadn't finished high school, albeit the thought of marrying Minho had come across his mind several times.

The older panicked. "No way. Not that." His cheeks were now tinted in shades of pink. "Talking about proposing you in front of your family, why don't you invite your dad and Elizabeth over for a family dinner?"

"With you? You're inviting my family?" he ensured once again to avoid miscommunication.

Minho nodded, though Jisung couldn't see it. "Yup. Your dad suggested us to have another family with my family the other day. Remember?"

"Uh huh."

"That's why I want to invite your family to my house and have a dinner with my family. Besides, it's unfair if I only take you for granted." he poured his hidden feelings out. "I feel like I'm only receiving from you, and I want to give you something nice."

He could feel the sadness in Minho's voice. He never knew how Minho truly felt, albeit he reckoned the older must've felt terrible and ashamed because they're not on the same level. Jisung didn't mind that. Never in a million years. In his eyes, Minho completed him and vice versa. Although his boyfriend was lacking confidence, he still found him flawless.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "Hyung, I don't want you to feel bad about anything. If you're doing this for the sake of repaying everything I've given you, then I must decline." He heart ached so much while saying that. "I will accept your offer if you genuinely want to have a family dinner without having anything to achieve. My dad would very much appreciate it."

"Okay, I'll try to sort my feelings. I still want the dinner thingy to happen," he said, smiling from ear to ear. "I mean... Auntie will come home tonight, so it'll be great for you and your dad to see her."

Heart beating faster than ever, Jisung had never felt so excited and nervous at the same time like this. "Tell her I love you," he chuckled. "She must have a really beautiful heart like you."

The older nodded again. "Actually she's one of the nicest person on earth. Although we're not connected by blood, she'll always be my Auntie that I adore, though she insisted not to call her my Auntie." A smile plastered on Jisung's smile, knowing there's someone to erase Minho's loneliness aside from his cats and him while they're not physically together warmed his heart.

"Can't wait for next week." The call ended faster than expected because Minho's phone died, and like a magic spell casted on him, Chan had returned from his long minutes of pooping in someone else's house. Jisung could not ever relate.

There's no toilet better than your own toilet, where you can poop freely without feeling awkward. That line had always been Jisung's life motto. Truthfully, his digestive system never runs well when traveling due to the lack of homey vibes, especially in the toilet. That's probably the main reason on why he hated going abroad so badly.

"Minho?" asked Chan with his index finger pointing at Jisung's phone.

"Yes." He put his phone back to his pocket. "I guess Minho-hyung and I will become a family soon," he flexed. "Hyung, why don't you find a girlfriend or a boyfriend? I can give you some recommendations."

"No need," he rejected. "At least not now. I'm in no hurry to be in a relationship with someone since the last time didn't end up so good."

The younger was eager to ask, but he decided against it. He knew his boundaries and he wouldn't crossed the line.

"Hmm... is there at least someone that caught your attention?"

Chan thought for a while. "There is, but I don't think we have a chance."

"Hyung, don't be like that. Be confident in yourself!" He tried so hard not to explode because Chan had a hard time acknowledging his charm points.

"You don't understand. That person I've been keeping my eyes on is probably not into relationships." Chan was getting frustrated since things never worked his way.

Jisung patted his back. "Okay, let's cheer you up, Oldie." They both went to find Mr. Ryu and went shopping. From there, they never mentioned anything related to relationships anymore.

Coming to Wonho's house was regretful at first, especially for the whiney boy named Jisung. Nevertheless, it was a good decision at the end. They got to know the truth, which was everything they needed. However now, they've got nothing to do anymore. It's not like they could return. In the end, they went shopping in the city's biggest mall. It's Jisung's idea.

For Jisung, Chan had always been that old fashioned friend and senior. He despised Chan's way of thinking with a burning passion. Nevertheless, he respected the boy from this experience. Chan had gone through a lot and Jisung just wanted to help him forget his burden by shopping together. At least there's something nice to do for the older.

Just like Minho, he was repaying what he's been given so far. They're the same, that's why they matched so well together.

┉┉


	53. 52

A week passed by faster than all internet connection in South Korea combined. The last time Sunday came so quickly, Pristin still existed.

Although both Jisung and Minho couldn't wait for the family dinner, Jumin's hectic schedule and his sudden business trip didn't work out to their favor. In result, the most awaited dinner plan had to be postponed. It's not canceled, though they must wait for another 2 weeks. In other words, they couldn't spend Christmas and New Year together.

Jisung didn't mind waiting. After all, he got the chance to went abroad with Jumin while he's occupied on his duty. With Jumin's absence, he had the opportunity to explore Japan with Eunwoo and Elizabeth the 3rd by his side.

On the pile of snow, Jisung excitedly hopped his foot one by one. Everytime he's met with rocks or any obstacle, he leaped then walked forward. Eyes glued on the ground, he made sure he didn't trip because he couldn't handle the embarrassment.

Next to him was the one and only Cha Eunwoo. His left hand was held hostage by his young boss, while the other hand was holding Elizabeth the 3rd's little warm cage.

Hearing Christmas songs playing everytime he stepped inside an establishment irked him sometimes, since the choices of songs weren't creative, or perhaps there weren't that many famous Christmas songs to play. However, he didn't paid much attention to the songs anymore. He only focused on spending his dad's money for his own happiness. True, money can't buy happiness, but Jisung would much rather cry in his Jacuzzi while sipping champagne, instead of laughing his ass off on the street with his tattered clothing.

While Jisung was passing shop by shops, a small looking business caught his attention. It was an aesthetic, peaceful-looking cat cafe. Still stomping on his feet, the boy dragged Eunwoo to the establishment. They were greeted by the workers as they made their way inside. The place felt much warmer compared to the weather outside.

They were afraid that they wouldn't let Elizabeth the 3rd enter the place. Thankfully, they're all familiar with the cat since she's now worldwide famous.

No words could describe the state of happiness Jisung's felt at that moment. He regretted the days back then when he despised cats due to his personal grudge. Never he would've realized how cute cats are. He would describe Elizabeth the 3rd as an intruder a year ago, whereas he considered her now as a friendly companion.

He read somewhere on the internet that petting a purring cat can calm the owner and that's exactly how he felt the moment he ran his fingers on Elizabeth the 3rd's soft fur. Eunwoo was also savoring the moment with him. If Eunwoo wasn't there, Jisung would most likely get lost in Japan.

Even though Jisung gave so much love for Elizabeth the 3rd, his love for Eunwoo was much bigger. It's not that he's considering to date Eunwoo and leave Minho behind. No way. Although Jumin saw Eunwoo as Jisung's big brother who wanted to protect him from all the bad things in the world, Jisung kind of viewed Eunwoo as his mother because he kept seeing his mother in Eunwoo's gaze. That's mainly the reason why he managed to survive this long despite the emptiness in his heart that he used to cry over.

He was all over the moon to realize that his phone was ringing so loudly. The boy jolted as Eunwoo tapped his shoulder twice before picking up the call from his best friend.

"Breaking news!" Jisung found it odd from the way Felix didn't use his usual G'day fucktard greeting.

"Am I suppose to guess?" he asked. Not used to panicked Felix.

Felix nodded, though Jisung couldn't see it. "Yes. Something unexpected happened to me."

Jisung usually hated it when people ask him this question. However, he didn't if Felix was the one asking. He actually roamed his head, imagining different scenarios that could make Felix this restless.

He guessed, "What? Don't tell me your parents found out about your relationship with Changbin..."

"You are my best bro," Felix cheered. "So my parents saw me and Changbin crying over an anime movie and they're both dumbfounded because there's a guy in my house and because he's holding a sniper."

Wow, that was something, Jisung thought to himself.

Jisung offered, "Do you need a place to stay? I mean, you can come to my house, though I'm not there. You remember my gardener, Samuel Kim? You only need to show my contacts to him and tell him my favorite underwear brand and he'll let you in for sure. Then you can stay at the guest room with a balcony on the second floor." He was genuinely worried for his friend's wellbeing to the point that he was giving too much information.

Thankfully Felix stopped him. "Chill, Bro. I told them everything while I was preparing my suitcase, in case I got kicked out. Turns out they love me so much, although they're still sceptical towards Changbin," Felix explained while munching four varieties of gummy bears, "I told them Changbin is a nice guy, but until now they insist that he has the qualities of a serial killer."

Felix's story was so funny, Jisung didn't realize he let out inhumane noises which got all the people at the cat cafe looking at him in a concerning manner. Smoothly Eunwoo distracted their attention with his limited knowledge of the Japanese language in such a way that everyone shifted their attention away from the squeaking Jisung.

"What about you, Bro?" Felix stuffed another batch of gummy bears to his mouth. "How's it going with you and your cat boy, Minho?"

Minho and I? He questioned himself. Is there something wrong with us? It's somewhat amazing how could such guileless question got him thinking for a while.

Jisung asked, "Should something happen between us?" his voice unsure. From the way he spoke those words, the more clueless he became.

Felix shrugged from the other side of the world. "Nah." He didn't want to sound too pressuring because that wasn't his intention at all. "Good for you two. It's good to know that your rich ass father is supportive regarding your relationship with Minho."

"I'm sure your parents will approve your relationship with Changbin soon. My ship must sail or by all means, I shall have a finger in the pie."

Another batch of gummy bears entered Felix's mouth, ready to be devoured. "I wish my parents share the same amount of enthusiasm as you. Even my mom thought I was lying when I came out and that I like short guys," he recalled the memories like it's his everyday meal. "My mom's against it and she said if I like short guys so much, I should've dated my neighbor, Lee Jihoon. On the other hand, my heart belongs to Binnie and Jihoon is married now."

"Oh, wow. Already?" At this point, he's putting his phone on speaker, considering no one apart from Eunwoo would understand.

He nodded. "I was supposed to attend his wedding party, yet I chose to date Binnie with his sniper. Perhaps that's why my mom disliked him."

Jisung snorted once again, receiving weird glances from his surroundings, yet too cool to give a fuck.

He tried to motivate his dejected friend, "You know what they say? Hate is the beginning of a love story."

"Are you implying that my mom will cheat on my dad to get Binnie's heart? Bro, that's wrong on so many levels." Shaking his head in disgust, Felix almost threw his phone to the nearest wall. Scared to death.

"Bro, not like that," he confirmed. "There's time for everything in every circumstances. A lot of times things go perfectly wrong. Nonetheless, people will forget how stupid they were as time goes by. Have some faith, it will be alright." Those words flew like birds in the morning; loud and awakening. It showed how much Jisung had matured overtime.

The burden weighing on Felix's shoulder lighten a little. If Felix were told to describe how much he appreciate and treasure Jisung's existence in his life, he would close his eyes and described the emptiness he's seeing with his eyes closed, just like his world without Jisung; dark and empty.

Then Felix leaned closer to his phone, whispering, "Bro, talking to you soothes my heart, but also dries my mouth." His voice sounded raspy, but somewhat ASMR.

"Well," Jisung laughed again, "you want a protein shake, Bro?"

"Nah, Bro..." Felix refused.

"Why, Bro?"

Felix finished, "Because you're the only one who gives me strength, Bro."

"Bro..." Jisung was left speechless without noticing the fact that the call had ended because Felix's phone died.

┉┉

Minho's house after several weeks changed drastically. His usually green, refreshing, colorful house at this stage was almost hidden by the snow on his yard. More than four weeks had passed. More scheduled-packed weeks went by without each other's warmth. Maybe that's why it felt colder than the peak of winter.

The sun that's about to set radiated enough warmth for Jisung to savor in. He still couldn't believe he's finally in front of Minho's house; a place he's been longing for so long. Jumin unbuttoned his suit and handed it to Driver Kim since Jisung said it's needless to dress so formally. After all they're going to Minho's house, not another three-Michelin stars restaurant.

The dinner on Minho's house kept getting delayed after dozens of clashing schedules from both sides. Christmas had passed. In fact, the year had changed. Both celebrated their Christmas and New Year's holiday separately.

As much as Jisung wished to celebrate both holidays with Minho, he must admitted that the days and weeks he spent with Jumin healed all the homesickness he felt towards his boyfriend.

Jisung couldn't believe he actually enjoyed his time with Jumin, especially after thinking back the old days where the two almost never share a conversation. They still argued over simple things, though. Whiny teenager Jisung and his cold pragmatic father sometimes didn't get along well. In spite of all the difficulties, they completed each other's sentences. Jumin must admit that he could get a little overboard. He knew he spoiled him too much every to often, judging from the amount of Gucci products he's willing to give him, but considering the way he treated him badly in the past made him want to do this even more.

Beep. Jumin's phone vibrated inside his pocket.

"Let's go!" A hand tapped on Jumin's arm. He turned back to see Jisung being all giddy and playful to meet Minho.

"Okay, after I answered this call." The name Cha Eunwoo's on display, therefore he picked up the call. He would never answer to anonymous calls.

Jisung acknowledged the situation, thus he waited patiently.

Before the father and son duo arrived at Minho's house, they were taking Elizabeth the 3rd to a salon nearby the Han's mansion. However, there were some problems with the electricity which led Elizabeth the 3rd's turn got delayed. Eunwoo was in charge of the cat for the time being by self proposal.

Eunwoo opened the call, "Mr. Han, Elizabeth the 3rd and I have exited ourselves from the salon and now we're on our way." Jumin almost melt by hearing Elizabeth the 3rd's cute voice as she approached Eunwoo's phone.

Jumin tried to hard to maintain a stoic expression. "How far are you from the destination?"

"Approximately 10 minutes away from Lee Minho's residence," he replied, eyes peeking to his watch.

"Okay. I'll see you soon. Thank you." He ended the call then proceeded to tell Jisung that he's finished with his call.

Hooh, I'm so nervous. Jisung inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled loudly. The temperature was still cold from the way he could see fogs coming from his mouth as he released his breath of anticipation.

With shaky hands, Jisung knocked on Minho's door. He did it repeatedly by habit. At first he only knocked three times. Even so, he's not satisfied then continued knocking while his mind traveled elsewhere, looking for the perfect song that would fit the beats and tempo to the knocking sounds he produced. A true intellectual.

Jisung was too immersed in the moment, he even forgot to stop knocking, thus once the knocking sounds went off, Minho's beautiful face whom Jisung had been dreading to see in real life made a kiss with Jisung's fist until he lost one's footing. What an admirable greeting.

Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.

"Hyung, I'm sorry!" he panicked, "I can convince how beautiful you are although I just punched your face."

Minho calmed him down. "No biggie. I'm alright," he reassured him. "By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Sung-ie!" He cupped Jisung's cheeks with his warm hands, in which Jisung responded his affectionate touch with a big gummy smile.

Sung-ie. Oh, how much he missed hearing that nickname coming from Minho's mouth.

Minho jumped when he saw Jumin standing at the door, looking awkward as ever. He was so embarrassed, to the point that he could only hide his face on the crook of Jisung's neck.

Jisung took the sign quickly. "Dad, you guys have met before, right? No need to be so awkward."

After contemplating his life choices, Minho managed to regain is cool. "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Mr. Han! I wish all the best for the Han's family and to your company." He helped Jumin taking off his outer and hung it to its supposed place.

"Thank you. I appreciate your kindliness. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too," said Jumin, "I hope our attendance wouldn't be much of a burden to you."

Again, Minho went panic. "N-no, absolutely um... I—um," he faltered, "your family are always welcomed."

A hand touch Minho's neck much to his surprise. He turned his head afterwards to see Jisung asking him the real thing with his puzzled look.

"By the way, where's she?"

Minho answered without hesitation, "Auntie is almost done cooking. She sorta went crazy cooking mode when I said there will be guests, moreover after I mentioned that the person's coming over is my boyfriend and his father."

"Yah, who said you can talk behind my back just like that?!" A voice echoed from the kitchen.

The food was clearly not ready, not that Jisung mind. He only wanted to greet the person who had been raising Minho so far. For a while he kept imagining what kind of person Minho truly loved, to the point that he called her 'Auntie' despite having different bloodlines.

Jisung wanted to say thank you; for giving Minho the chance to feel at home again, for raising him regardless of the difficulties, and for choosing him out of many people in the world to give love to, even though she sign no papers whatsoever. Everything she had done was purely out of love. Jisung admired her for that. Perhaps that's why he's not that nervous any longer.

Too bad he's not ready for all the things that's about to come.

Plates clinking from the kitchen as Jisung took this sign as she's going to prepare at least some dishes that's already been done first. She moved her feet towards the dining room with four plates on her arms. Jisung and the rest went to the dining room as well.

Jisung couldn't point out the exact words to describe the atmosphere on Minho's house. Unlike usual, his house warmed his heart to the extent that he felt nostalgic for unknown reasons. Perhaps due to the Christmas attributes decorating his beige wall, or perhaps something else. The scent from the newly cooked Japchae running into his nostrils and upwards made his stomach growled. He wasn't sure himself, but he liked the house's atmosphere now better.

The woman who had been preparing everything had her hair down in a messy way. Looking from her back, it seemed like her bun was ruined, which caused her long hair to fall aimlessly. She seemed hurried, not to his surprise.

She put the dishes on the table. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. You guys arrived faster than expected." She turned around. "By the way, Merry Chri—" They're standing face to face now.

However, she stopped talking.

Her words got clogged inside her throat, unable to rise back up. Jisung wondered whether she forgot something important or what, but as soon as he saw that face, everything turned grey.

She, just like Jisung, stood there with her pupils dilated. She had never been so startled after a long time, hence she couldn't get used to the feeling anymore. Exactly in that moment, her fingers slipped, causing the last plate of food to fell freely on the floor. The sound of plates breaking into pieces echoed throughout the space they share between.

On reflex, Jumin hurriedly followed the sound of broken plate which led him to the scar he left unhealed. As soon as he saw her face, the air suddenly suffocated him amidst the familiar scent, wondering where to go. His legs trembled like crazy.

Jumin's lips moved to say something. Although he's shocked, he still managed to mutter out those words; that one particular word that brought back all the memories.

"E.. Elizabeth?"

What is going on? Questions were running on Minho's head.

It's like time had been stopped. Exactly in that second, Jumin received a call from his assistant, in which he instantaneously accepted. His hand moved like a programed robot.

"Yes, Assistant Kang," said Jumin, hesitating as he showed everyone his panic profile. Eyes locked on the woman before him.

"Mr. Han, I have a terrible news," Jaehee reported, her voice pitchy, "It's related to Cha Eunwoo and Elizabeth the 3rd..." She paused again for a second.

"... there has been an accident."

Jumin couldn't even finished the call. He made eye contact with Jisung, then to that woman again. Jisung's stomach churned when he figured out everything.

Fuck it.

┉┉


	54. 52.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special Chapter: The World in Her Eyes

She couldn't exactly remember the path to her own house. Well, not really. She knew as well that she in fact didn't have a house to begin with. Throughout her days living in poverty, she slept anywhere, everywhere, with nowhere to go to.

A girl with tattered clothing, a girl whose hair smelled like dandruff, a girl without a name. Somehow she managed to live her life to the fullest despite not possessing all the things people in general have.

That day felt like magic to her. An ordinary day turned into miracle from the second she accidentally stepped on Jumin Han's shoe.

She stepped back. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Don't you worry," a voice cut her off, "Jumin doesn't care much about accidents like this." The boy with mint hair gave her a reassuring look.

The Jumin guy replied, "Jihyun, we both know it's impolite to cut other people's sentences." He turned his head to the girl he just met that day. "I'm sorry, were you trying to explain something?"

Her cheeks blushed in embarrassment. "Y-yes, but it's okay. I apologize for stepping on your shoe. Is there something I can do to repay my mistake?" Judging from the shoes, she knew she was stepping on something really expensive.

Jumin stayed silent, hence Jihyun took over the conversation. "Do you wanna be friends with us? I really want to be friends with girls too. However, the girls I met in church and in school said Jumin and I are too boring."

"I don't think I deserve to—"

"I take that as a yes," Jihyun exclaimed then shook her hand.

"Jihyun, you're being impolite again," said Jumin.

She couldn't process what was happening to her. The only thing she knew, they became friends that day. Just like that. She was only ten. The two older guys before her were the ones responsible for every changes in her life. From that day, she learned that the world must've pitied her by giving her such privilege to encountered these two.

She still couldn't forget the blue sky she saw that day. The sunlight, the wind brushing against her cheeks, her eyes staring at the clouds sauntering away.

"I don't have anything, though," she admitted.

"You have us now," Jihyun assured.

"No, I mean..." she was too flustered by their wholesomeness. "I don't even have a name." She played with her fingers, still embarrassed.

"Elizabeth," Jumin muttered out of the blue.

Jihyun clicked his fingers. "Sounds good!"

Jumin's eyebrows twitched. "No, I was referring to the answer to number 12 across on the crossword I did yesterday."

"I like it, though," she admitted. They looked pleased too, even though it was a rushed decision. It's not like she cared.

They were just vibing.

┉┉

Jumin and Jihyun lived in a very rich neighborhood. It's a fact that everyone couldn't help but get jealous of. Elizabeth was aware with this fact as well. In fact, she often dreamed about switching life with them. Even so, she was glad for everything that happened to her. They're both nice people.

When Elizabeth was still young, Jumin and Jihyun would provide her with a shit ton amount of food in Jumin's mansion since his father rarely came home. She would bring the foods to her parents.

Their kindness didn't stop there, though. After knowing how poor her family was, Jihyun rented an apartment on his behalf for Elizabeth and her family to stay in. When her parents were sick, they helped them by paying the hospital fees, but unfortunately they were too ill to continue living. At first her mother died after fighting with her illness, then her husband followed soon afterwards due to excessive complications he faced from mourning over his wife's death. Jumin and Jihyun played a big part on giving her ears to listen to when she needed it the most. She couldn't describe how grateful she was to be their friend.

In one of their teenage years, Jumin came out from the closet and dated Jihyun. She felt happy for them, although the relationship didn't last long. They realized how much their relationship might impact their parents' career as successful businessmen, therefore they ended their relationship as their feelings toward each other slowly faded out as well.

A year later, Jihyun found himself a girl he loved so much. At that time, their relationship seemed smooth and perfect. Nonetheless, Jumin and Elizabeth didn't know how toxic their relationship were. Jihyun's girlfriend was a little too obsessive. This result in their friendship as well. Ever since Jihyun had been distancing himself, Jumin and Elizabeth had gotten closer more than they expected.

To celebrate Elizabeth's birthday as she turned eighteen, Jihyun and his girlfriend paid a surprise visit and then gave her a present.

It was a cat. A Persian cat to be specific.

Jihyun mentioned a couple of times on how the cat reminded him of Elizabeth because of her white, clean fur that represents pure and innocence somewhat made him think about Elizabeth when he first met her as a kid.

"She will be Elizabeth the 2nd," he shifted his head to the other cat, added, "and she will be Elizabeth the 3rd." He pointed at the kitten.

Jumin eyes followed the cute kitten. She let out a small voice as she approached Jumin's shoes and nuzzled there. Her mother, Elizabeth the 2nd, was kept by Jihyun and his girlfriend named Rika.

It was a simple birthday party held for special people.

As if nothing had happened, Jihyun disappeared and never came back. This resulted Jumin and Elizabeth's friendship to develop further until they had reached a certain point where they acknowledged that it's no longer platonic.

They dated in secret while growing up together. No one knew about this secret relationship apart from the people who worked in the Han's mansion, and luckily they kept their mouth shut.

However, everything went wrong when they accidentally went further. That day, Elizabeth realized that she's pregnant. Still, she didn't have the audacity to tell Jumin's father. Well, whether she tried to hide it or not, Jumin's father wouldn't have noticed either way because he mostly spent his time in his office or going to business trips. At night, he would spend it with different women he was interested in. As long as Elizabeth didn't go out telling the whole world she's pregnant, no one would ever noticed.

She decided to keep going forward. Jumin also tried to help her in many ways during her pregnancy despite having zero knowledge in that subject.

Sometimes Elizabeth would get excruciatingly worried about their future. She continuously rambled about how guilty and stupid she was. In this kind of situation, Jumin would remind her that it's okay. After all, Jumin's birth was kind of the same. With his father falling in love with a random woman, fucked her, and then baby Jumin was born to this world. A year later, the woman ran away. Simple as that. The Han's family had always been like that. Surprisingly she found that family secret to be reassuring, judging from her experience.

They were just vibing.

┉┉

Ji means love and Sung means star because he was born when the stars were beautifully aligned. That way, the name Jisung was created at September 14th. Although it's a common name, in their eyes there's only one Han Jisung in the world that matters.

In Elizabeth's eyes, Jisung was the greatest gift she had ever achieved. Whenever bad days arrived, baby Jisung would crawl to her foot as she lifted his tiny body and placed him on her arms, embracing the boy then placed a tender kiss on the top of his head.

Yes, raising a child was a pain in the ass. She had to change his diaper, bathe him, provide him with enough milk and baby food, be extra careful with everything, and etcetera. However, all the tiredness immediately disappeared once she saw Jisung's smile. For her, a baby's smile is like a gift for working so hard. Pure, angelic, innocent smile that should be protected from all the dangers in this world. No matter how many times she had seen people with beautiful smiles, no smile can beat a baby's genuine smile, especially Jisung's.

She would give all her love to Jisung. Every night she would sing him the same lullaby over and over again because Jisung liked it. She was in charge of Jisung, whereas Jumin was in charge of Elizabeth the 3rd because he couldn't handle kids. By doing so, Jisung grew more attached to his mother rather than to his father.

One day, she went outside to get some fresh air only to found herself stuck in the middle of memories. She was at that place where she met Jumin and Jihyun at the first time. Nothing much had changed. Only the appearance of a new bench that's different from the old times.

She seated there to savor the morning sunlight with her eyes closed, mouth humming out the recipe of carrot cake, while her legs jumping up and down continuously to a rhythmical song of carrot cake.

She was so focused on her song, she didn't even feel the subtle movements on the bench after a boy placed his butt there.

She then started to notice the boy's presence when she heard him crying silently as if he's trying to hide it, although it was a futile effort.

Her hand automatically moved to wipe the boy's tears. He seemed like he didn't mind the touch at all.

"Darling, I'm sorry. Today must've been awful for you," she comforted him. "You don't have to hide it. I understand."

He attempted to talk while crying, "I've worked so hard for it. Why do—" The sentences weren't delivered entirely. His words kept getting cut by unstoppable hiccups. She could see the struggles of this boy in a glance.

"It's okay, dear." She fixed his hair without muttering a single word, doing her best to make sure he's taking his time to compose himself.

He spoke again, "I've studied all day and night and still failed," he added, "it's not fair."

"Were you just having your entrance exam?" she assumed, praying inside that she didn't assume wrongly.

"Mmmh." He nodded. "I'm the only one who didn't make it in my friend group. Now I don't know what to do anymore. My life's over."

"Have you informed this to anyone beside me?" she asked.

He nodded again. "Yes," he answered, "I told my family and my friends first. They seemed okay with it, but I'm still not happy with the result."

"Sweetie, failing your college entrance exam doesn't mean your life is over. Even your parents aren't mad, right?" She attempted to make him feel better.

He argued, "No! My parents won't let me take another test next year. They told me it's better to just find a job, but how can I find a job without an educational background?" His tears began to dry, his sadness didn't.

Elizabeth took his words into consideration as she racked her brain to find a solution.

"Can I ask for your name, dear?" she asked in a really calm tone, making it clear that she's not trying to harm him by all means.

"Eunwoo. Cha Eunwoo."

"Look, Eunwoo," she struggled to put it into proper words, "I have an idea, but I don't know whether I'm allowed to do this or not. You see, we're running out of house workers and I think you might be able to work there if I succeeded to persuade a certain someone."

"Please, I hope you can." His eyes sparkling in anticipation. "I can do a lot of things! I can be your personal driver if you want me to. I have a driver's license. Look!" He pulled something out of his pocket, which showed a real driver's license.

She couldn't give him a confirmation, thus they continued to talk comfortably on the bench just as though they're on the same age. It became a habit for them to share a conversation every morning on the bench as she kept updating the news and at last, he's allowed to work in the Han's mansion. When his parents were informed, they approved straight away.

She was so happy that she could change someone's life at the place where she once faced a similar phenomenon.

Eunwoo viewed Elizabeth as his second mother. He yearned to be just like her, especially after seeing her taking care of Jisung every single day. It made him want to take care of Jisung as well. Jisung seemed to like him too and he's really glad for that. Elizabeth told him to not be so nervous and be casual as always, therefore he did as told. Elizabeth was pretty chill too.

They were just vibing.

┉┉

There's no such thing as living a perfect life because life is an angsty teenage girl with issues. When everything goes perfect, only pain will come and your life can't go anywhere but downwards.

In Elizabeth's case, her perfect life turned 180 degrees pre-heated, 5 minutes on the pan, 45 minutes in the oven, pick it out, let it rest, dip it in sauce, slice it into thin cuts, add toppings, and serve. It was like facing Masterchef's pressure test.

The moment she saw the face of Jumin's father when he found out everything, she knew she's doomed. Only a look of disgust was shown on his face. There's no other way to interpret that look.

"It's unfortunate that the kid has already been born. If he's still inside her womb, we still can get rid of the problem," he said. Elizabeth's heart ached upon hearing the way he talked about Jisung. "The only solution is to get rid of this woman and let me arrange you to a marriage with another woman with good reputation and claim that you've been married privately for years to explain the existence of that kid."

Jumin stepped forward. "When you said 'a woman with good reputation', what type of woman are you talking about? Is Elizabeth not perfect enough to fulfill your satisfaction?" he challenged him.

"Jumin, you might have been too attached to that woman until you lost your rational mind. She clearly doesn't possess the qualities of an ideal woman," he specified, "she doesn't have a good educational background, no job experience, no family background that would support your marriage, nor the presence of a trustworthy woman. Whatever excuses you make, my decision won't change."

If it weren't for his rational mind, Jumin would have smacked that man down, but he's Jumin Han.

"One can be called trustworthy when that person managed to break down your walls and build a new one together. I believe you have no rights to use such term because I have spent a lot of times with her and throughout my life I've never met someone as trustworthy and dependable as her," he added, "whatever prejudice you have against her, I am an adult too, meaning I'm able to decide my future without someone else interfering what I've accomplished. I respect your opinion and I won't hold grudges against you as a good son. However, just like you, my decision won't change as well."

Elizabeth didn't remember much, or more like she refused to remember such awful day like that day, yet she maintained a cheerful face when she's feeding Jisung. After hearing the words from Jumin's father, a lot of thoughts kept running on her mind.

She's always aware that she's lacking a lot of things, but still, her heart throbbed whenever she recalled the fact that Jumin's father referred her precious Jisung as 'a problem'. True, the birth of Jisung may be a mistake. Nevertheless, she acknowledged her mistake and move forward. If she could make a wish, she only wished all the happiness for Jisung.

Jumin had attempted several times to comfort her, but to no avail. His words were very encouraging, but it had no impact to her wellbeing. It's like she's distancing herself before the feelings stabbed harder.

"Elizabeth, listen to me," said Jumin.

"What else do you want to say? Do you regret defending me when everything he said was true? I am just a nobody after all." Tears almost fell from her eyes. Somehow she could hold them despite all the burdens.

"A lot of people are tied to their past and feel anxious about the unclear future. But the present is the most important for me. I feel the most alive when I exist in the present with you by my side."

Her sight blurred while thinking about Jumin's words. Sometimes she hated the way Jumin's always good with words. What irked her the most was his last sentence before she shut him off.

"Elizabeth, my words right now may not affect you, but please remember," he continued, "words become meaningful once they reached you."

She still couldn't register the hidden message he's trying to tell her, therefore she spent the rest of the day hiding her pain while silencing her voice.

Except the fact that there's no hidden message to be delivered.

At this point they're not vibing anymore.

┉┉

Elizabeth thought that she had enough. She had tried many times to be more positive and to believe in Jumin, but she's had enough. Her life had been going nowhere but downwards and it made her more anxious within each second she stepped her foot on the Han's mansion.

"Did you eat?" Jumin asked her as she entered his room. She was drowning in pain in which Jumin failed to notice. To be frank, Jumin couldn't sense veiled emotions ever since he was born. Elizabeth used this moment to her advantage.

She ignored his question. "Jumin, can you take care of Elizabeth the 3rd?"

He answered, "Of course I can. I think I've been taking care of her really well."

She nodded. "I know, but Jihyun gave Elizabeth the 3rd to me, not you. However, I couldn't really keep my eyes on her since I have Jisung, but you're always there for her. What if I just give her ownership to you? You can take care of her better than anyone else in the world."

"Does it really matter, though?"

"Yes, it does," she refrained from talking too much. "I'm just stating this so you can officially be her owner, not me. Do you have any objection?"

"No," he said without hesitation. He didn't know what's coming to him.

She then walked away. Once she exited Jumin's room, she went to her room to grab all her items and bid her farewell to Jisung. She acknowledged that she didn't deserve to have a wonderful life. Everything that she'd been through were all blessings to be left forgotten.

"Mommy, are you going somewhere?" Little Jisung asked her when he noticed Elizabeth packing her stuffs.

"Yes, Jisung. I'm going outside for a while." She kissed his forehead. Guilt rushed throughout her body endlessly.

Jisung only leaned forward, meaning he wanted another kiss, hence she granted his wish as she leaned forward and placed kisses all over Jisung's voice. He laughed due to its ticklish feeling, same for Elizabeth.

When both of them had enough, she lowered her body to face Jisung completely. "Jisung, always remember this," she said, "you have to keep going forward. Despite all the circumstances, I'm always here... in your heart, so you don't have to be sad because it will make me sad as well."

"I'm not sad," he admitted a little too soon.

"But you cry a lot, don't you?" she teased. Jisung puffed his cheeks in embarrassment.

"O-okay! I won't cry anymore. Jisung is a big boy."

Yes, you're a big boy. She smiled upon hearing his statement and once again, she showered him with kisses before she left.

On her way to the front gate, she accidentally stumbled on someone. She was about to apologize before getting herself interrupted.

"Mrs. Han?" Eunwoo tapped on Elizabeth's hand to make sure he's not hallucinating. His expression went blank once he saw the suitcase. "Mrs, Han, are you trying to leave?"

She felt bitter, but she knew she got to be honest to him. "Eunwoo, I'm not trying to leave. I'm leaving. Please take care of Jisung for me."

Eunwoo couldn't believe his ears. "What? Please tell me you're coming back." She could hear the desperation in his voice.

"Eunwoo," she said again, "I trust you more than anyone else in the world. Please take good care of Jisung. I honestly don't know where to go now. It's not like I don't wanna stay here any longer, more like I have no rights to be here."

If Jihyun hadn't sold the apartment where Elizabeth used to stay in before she moved in to the Han's mansion, she at least could go there.

Eunwoo got teary really quick. "Can you please stay in my house? Besides, I only work as a driver here. How am I suppose to take care of him?"

"I know you'll be more than just a driver in the future. Please take care of him, and most of all, please don't let anybody know we're having this conversation right now. Not even Jumin. This is our secret. Promise me that you'll take care of Jisung."

Although his vision got blurry due to sadness, he intertwined his pinky finger with Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth wiped his tears. "Eunwoo, promise me something," she whispered, "don't die. Jisung needs you the most."

"I won't."

Then she left. She left him speechless.

The term 'vibing' wouldn't fit anywhere anymore.

┉┉

Underneath the sunlight, Elizabeth walked far away to a secluded area. There she found an empty old building to rest. She walked to the rooftop, right on the edges. Her mind was clouded with never-ending thoughts, making her condition worse.

She's not okay.

The ray of sunlight didn't do her any justice. She had been piling up her emotions until it reached its peak at that exact moment. Tears fell down like waterfall. All the loneliness she had been bearing to live with eventually overcame her at the point where she started to have suicidal thoughts because her heart hurt so bad, she could barely breathe properly.

She didn't want Jisung to be like her. That's why she left him with Eunwoo. It was for the best. She bet Jumin's father would be delighted to hear the news that she's gone.

She was at the stage of life where she almost end everything. Besides, jumping would be far easier than to live.

That's when a hand stopped her from doing so. A hand gripped her strong enough at the right time and pulled her away from the edges. It was a hand of a woman she never met.

"Don't." She didn't say anything after that. Instead, she pulled her to a tight hug and embraced her while Elizabeth was busy crying on her shoulder.

They actually talked after she sorted her emotions. Elizabeth didn't care anymore, she told her everything because when things were all over the place, no one could pay attention to whom they're speaking to. It was all a spontaneous action.

The woman who saved her earlier asked her to stay at her house. She then learned that they're at the same age and then she introduced her son, Lee Minho, also her husband.

As time went by, she's starting to get used to live in the Lee's household. Besides, everyone's so friendly here, unlike the people on the Han's family. Her mental condition was slowly getting better each day as they provided her with ears to listen to. Because sometimes the sentence "I'm listening" sounds better than "I love you" in many circumstances.

Minho's a nice kid. He welcomed her company without hesitation. Every time the mothers started talking about children, the more she realized how cruel of her to leave Jisung.

Elizabeth was cleaning the table when she heard Mrs. Lee said, "I wish your Jisung could meet my Minho somewhere in the far future." But of course they shrugged it off with a laughter.

Unfortunately her happiness didn't last long like last time.

Minho's parents got into a car accident which resulted in their death. She was so frustrated when she heard the news because they were kind people, and especially because she felt bad for Minho. He was just a kid.

After their funeral, Minho's grandparents moved in to take care of Minho. However, Minho seemed to not clicked with them. Minho felt more affectionate towards Elizabeth and she saw this as a sign to redeem herself. She always viewed herself as a failed mother to Jisung, therefore she wanted to raise Minho well for the sake of his parents who saved her from all the wounds she left opened.

Despite not signing any papers, she still took care of Minho. His grandparents were actually glad of her existence because they were also mourning inside. She didn't adopt him, she knew she had no rights to do so. Nevertheless, she poured her love to Minho. For her, raising Minho was her second chance, therefore she's not going to waste it.

Sometimes she would notice that Minho wasn't as bright as he used to be after his parents death. She wanted to cheer him up, for that reason she took him on a walk to an ice cream parlor and bought him his favorite ice cream. After that, she took him to an adoption center for pets.

Minho's eyes shined so bright once he was met with so many cats in one place. She then let him adopt three cats in attempt to make him feel better. He named them Soon-ie, Doong-ie, and Dori.

She still couldn't forget the blue sky she saw that day. The sunlight, the wind brushing against her cheeks, her eyes staring at the clouds sauntering away.

┉┉


	55. 53

Before the accident...

If Eunwoo's prediction wasn't wrong, he should've arrived at Minho's residence with Elizabeth the 3rd in 10 minutes after his call with Jumin ended.

Too bad he's not that good at predicting occurring events.

After he finished talking to Jumin, he dialed Jaehee who's already home because Jumin decided to give her a vacation after a while. After all, she deserved it for working so hard.

"Hello," said Jaehee from kilometers away.

Eunwoo responded, "Jaehee, can you please tell Bambam to read my messages?"

Jaehee frowned. "Can't you do it yourself?" she questioned.

"If I can, I don't need to call you now," he answered. "Bambam hasn't been checking my messages because I pranked him yesterday, so I think you should be the one to do it since he finds you intimidating."

She sighed. "You two should really stop pulling pranks on each other. You're not a kid anymore, Eunwoo."

"I kinda am on the inside." He laughed, whereas Jaehee couldn't find the funny point in this conversation. "By the way, you should really find a date because you're starting to be as boring as your boss."

"No, thank you," she refused, "love is just an illusion created by emotions with an expiration date. Don't waste your career over this."

"Wasn't Mr. Han like that too before? I heard stories about him from—"

Suddenly loud noises deafened Jaehee's ear and the call ended. Eunwoo never finished his sentence, though Jaehee kind of figured out what happened to him.

She didn't like to assume things abruptly without proof. Nevertheless, she didn't waste anytime to dialed the emergency number to tell Eunwoo's location because he had previously shared his location to Jaehee in case he got lost, which came in handy for this situation.

She thereupon dialed Jumin while trying her best to keep her cool although she's panicking inside. She's yet to fully registered all the fuckery that she just heard.

"Yes, Assistant Kang," said Jumin, hesitating.

"Mr. Han, I have a terrible news," Jaehee reported, her voice pitchy, "It's related to Cha Eunwoo and Elizabeth the 3rd..." She paused again for a second.

"... there has been an accident."

┉┉

"We need to go right now." Jumin gazed at Jisung before grabbing his coat to leave. "I'm sorry, but there's an emergency."

Minho was startled with all the things that's happening at the same time. "Wait, where are you guys going?"

"To the hospital," answered Jumin.

"Can I go?" he corrected himself, "can we go?" The we in Minho's statement referred to Elizabeth. Jumin didn't like the idea at all, especially knowing it's Eunwoo they're talking about.

He declined, "I apologize, but we must—"

"Please," Elizabeth pleaded desperately.

Jumin was trying to hide his emotions with a cold gaze as he said, "okay."

They packed some of the foods that were easy to carry and didn't have a prominent smell, then Jumin told his driver to head to the place where Eunwoo's staying in, according to Jaehee's information.

The moment they arrived at the hospital, Jisung and Minho ran straight to Eunwoo's room, which resulted to their disappointment because they're not allowed to visit him yet. Meanwhile Jumin and Elizabeth went outside to have a 'talk'.

Jisung stumbled upon Jaehee on his way. "What happened to Eunwoo?" he asked. Tears already rolling out of his eyes, unprepared to hear the answer.

"He had an accident when he was taking Elizabeth the 3rd to your house." She looked at Minho. "I was informed by the doctor that his condition right now is quite critical. Severe injuries accompanied with major blood loss and we don't know what will happen to him since the doctors are taking care of him."

Hearing unpleasant words, such as severe injuries and major blood loss made him dizzy. His heart wouldn't stop beating so hard, he felt like dying at the moment.

He asked his final question, "Elizabeth the 3rd... where is she?" If he couldn't be with Eunwoo, at least he could visit Elizabeth the 3rd to maintain his sanity.

Jaehee hesitated, "Jisung..." she continued nevertheless, "Elizabeth the 3rd is already dead."

"Oh."

Jisung's legs trembled, unable to support his body due to being shocked. Minho and Jaehee caught him and brought him to the nearest seat. Unfortunately, Jaehee had to excuse herself to deal with other things, therefore Minho and Jisung were left alone.

Only silence surrounding the two boys. Minho didn't dare to speak at all, not on this state. An ocean of words were clouding in his head, yet all of them remained unspoken.

"I need some fresh air." Finally Jisung said something. Minho nodded as he supported Jisung's body and went outside for a change of air.

Many beautiful metaphorical words are usually used to describe the boundless beauty of the night sky. However that night, the were no use on using such terms because as the eyes traveled forward, only darkness surrounding. Wherever they go, they couldn't escape from the darkness, and their hearts were as empty as the sky.

Jisung looked down. "Will Eunwoo be alright?"

Minho's chest tightened when he head Jisung finally speaking again. He truly wanted to embrace the boy, telling him it will be alright, but he had lost the courage to do so. He's afraid to get pushed away.

Somehow Minho managed to reply. "Eunwoo is not that weak. He'll wake up soon."

"Yeah, I believe in him," he convinced himself. With all the positivity he tried to build, his headache wouldn't fade away. "Hyung, you know everything, don't you?" He finally gazed upwards to meet Minho's eyes.

Minho was unsure of what to say. He didn't even know what he was referring to. "Know what?" he asked.

"Are you really that oblivious? Have you been creating this 'dumb oblivious guy' image from the beginning? Do you have a reason for that?" Jisung bombarded him with questions in which Minho had no idea about.

The older didn't like where this is going at all. "First of all I'm completely lost. You didn't give me any context at all, so I don't know what to say to you, but I know for sure that I would never fake myself to be with you. I don't even know if you think of me as the 'oblivious guy' because I didn't try to create such image from the beginning. Even if I do, I don't think I can keep up with my lies," he deadpanned, hating the way he was assumed for the things he never did or plan to do.

It was too bad that Jisung was so drowned in his emotions at that time. If he wasn't, then he wouldn't suspect his boyfriend. Although he tried to put his emotions aside for a while, the image of Eunwoo wouldn't leave his head.

"That lady in your house. How do you know her?"

Minho failed to understand why's Jisung so invested in his Aunty, but then he remembered the face Jumin made when he locked eyes with his Aunty. The memory was still vivid in his mind.

He answered honestly, "It just happened. One day my mom went home with another lady. She said I should be nice to her because she's gonna live with us. I've always liked her from the beginning and until now. That's the reason I called her 'Aunty'. You now... so I feel closer to her. I swear she's a nice person." He talked very frankly about his life, his hands even moved as he explained everything.

"I know," he agreed. "I know that very well. In fact, I know her."

Minho's eyes sparkled. "Really? Do you know her name? I asked her many times but she only told me to guess."

"I never learned her name too." He could already guess that the name they're looking for is Elizabeth, judging from Jumin's reaction. Hence Jisung just told him straight away, "by the way she's my mom, my biological mom."

"Oh."

Both went silent again. Minho didn't realize how anxious he had become. The next thing he snapped back to reality, the skin of his bottom lip had already been peeled off. Despite hating the metallic taste, he lick the blood altogether. His fingers ran between each strands of his sweaty hair.

The older dared to face Jisung with blank eyes. "Jisung," he said, "I'm sorry." His teeth began to work on his lips with the rising amount of nervousness.

Jisung stared at his lips, completely ignoring his action as he traveled his eyes upwards. "Huh?" was the only word that escaped his lips.

"It was my fault that Eunwoo got into an accident." Sweats running from his forehead down to his neck, until his sweater absorbed everything, or at least that's how he pictured it in his head, when in reality he was freezing. "I wanted him to arrive quicker, so I kinda texted him the shortcut to my house."

Jisung suddenly remembered something from a long time ago. As a kid, Jisung rarely went outside since his massive backyard and the house workers in the Han's mansion were enough to keep him busy.

One day he sneaked outside, albeit it's not like it's forbidden to go outside. He's not freaking Rapunzel. Anyways he was interested in his neighbors, but all at once he heard a woman crying. If Jisung assumed correctly, the said woman was on her forties and at that time she was grieving over the death of her oldest daughter.

Jisung didn't plan to listen on, yet he got his ear tacked on the wall, simply eavesdropping the conversation between two women and a man. To sum it up, they talked mostly about a road which was known for its dark side due to the high number of accidents occurred at that one place. People often ignored safety, knowing that road worked well with people on a hustle because it shortens time.

Well it shortens time for sure. The young girl whose mother was crying over clearly had her time shortened.

Jisung felt bad for overhearing everything even though he was the one to initiate such behavior, thus he went back inside. Back then he didn't realize how much his information would impact the future if he had told young Eunwoo all the things he knew. Instead he kept his mouth shut and eventually forget everything.

Not until Minho mentioned the cursed road.

He wanted to choke his old self for being useless. Moreover, he wanted to choke the current Minho for letting the accident happened; in which he already knew the risk of making that choice.

He wanted to strangle him, punch him on the face, beat him up until he was satisfied. There were many plots of murder in his mind, yet he managed to stop himself from doing so as he saw the image of his mother on Minho.

Instead he asked, "Hyung, do I love you?"

Now it's Minho's time to go "huh?"

Jisung continued, "From the day I truly fell for you, I thought your presence reminds me of something; something I couldn't really decipher. That day when we spent the night under the stars for the first time, that moment when my head landed on your thighs, I knew I recognize that feeling. The sense of familiarity I received from you felt exactly the same as it was given from my mother."

Minho couldn't refuse. Out of everything else, Jisung's eyes had always been his favorite part of the younger. The sense of familiarity he received from staring at his eyes felt exactly the same as it was given from his so called Auntie.

"Hyung, do I love you for who you are or do I love you by how much you resemble my mom?" Jisung sounded confused. "I often feel like I only care about the part when you treated me like how my mom used to treat me and ignored everything else about you. I don't think I've ever loved you as Lee Minho."

"Jisung, why are you saying all this bullcrap?" Minho's eyes widen in fear.

Jisung ignored him. "Mommy once told me something important," he remarked, "once you found something important, you would lose something in equal, or perhaps you would lose more if you're out of luck."

"Jisung—"

"I think only lose more because of you," he stated as he got up to leave him, "I need time."

Before Minho could reach him, Jisung had punched him hard on the face.

"And that's for Eunwoo."

When Minho was writhing in pain, the younger took this chance to leave him alone. He called another driver to pick him up. On the other hand, after talking to Elizabeth, Jumin and Jaehee were still busy dealing with everything related to the accident.

"That hurts," he hissed, hands reaching to whatever things he could use to support his body as he stood up.

The winter breeze made him feel like dying. He regretted going outside instead of conversing outside, also it might reduce the chance of them possibly making a scene due to self awareness. Nonetheless at this point he had no choice but to give in.

Somehow his legs walked against what his mind desired. He was getting tired and sleepy at the same time, though he believed he just saw a silhouette passed by, thinking it was Jisung while strolling forward.

That's when a hand held him back. Minho automatically buried himself in the familiar scent.

"Give him time," Elizabeth assured him, "I never taught him how to deal with his emotions. For now just let him sort his mind."

"I said sorry," he sobbed.

"I know. You've done the right thing. I'm the one who should apologize to him."

Minho asked, "How important is Eunwoo to Jisung?"

Elizabeth felt a sudden rush of guilt entering her body. "Eunwoo's presence is everything to him. Jisung is like a kitten who had lost his mother, had nowhere to go until Eunwoo found him. He has grown attached to him more than he should."

Minho stared blankly at Elizabeth's expression. Her comforting body language changed drastically when he talked about Eunwoo. It's like he could see her tearing apart over someone who he thought wasn't so important to her.

He changed the question, "Auntie, how important is Eunwoo to you?"

She cried a little. "Eunwoo is as important as Jisung is to me. I can love Eunwoo this much because of Jisung and vise versa."

..."I don't think I've ever loved you as Lee Minho."

"It must be so good to be loved," Minho finished.

┉┉


	56. 54

"I'm bad at parenting, aren't I?"

"Yes you are," Jumin agreed, "but so am I. We're equally bad at raising our kid." Exactly like what Elizabeth had in mind, Jumin had always been so bold with his remark and she would appreciate it forevermore.

Both were too young for the things they started. Spending the age of adolescence together, going for whatever short-term goals they had in mind. They weren't prepared for the consequences, and yet they shared their struggles as two people who had matured through time and experience.

Elizabeth sighed. "Aren't you mad that I'm raising Minho instead of my own son?"

"I was," he emphasized the last word, "but what can I do, though? At least I'm glad now. Somehow your absence helped me to become the caring father to Jisung that I am now, or so I believe."

"I see..." she trailed off, memories from old times flashed in her mind, "and raising someone else's son changed me to a better mother. Although I have initially planned to go back, I didn't expect my chance to come so soon."

Jumin checked his watch. "So now what are we going to do with the current situation?"

All parties went silent. They figured they must wait for the kids to solve their problems first before they took another step. It's funny how they let them decide their future. If they want the Han's family to go back together, they will do, but if they don't want to, then it's okay too.

"What about you?" she shot the question to Jumin, "do you still have feelings for me after all the stupid things I've done."

"To be honest I've never even felt like this with Elizabeth the 3rd," Jumin began, "Elizabeth, you are completely different from all women my father had met. Isn't it a miracle that I managed to find someone so innocent and as understanding as you?"

"Jumin..." Just like that, all the hidden emotions began to rise once again.

Humans are simple people with complex emotions built up from past time memories. Although some people move on easily than some others, they are all the same. At the end of the day you can never forget the things you want to forget.

Jumin ignored her. "I-I never needed a cat. I needed a special person just like you." His arms found their ways to meet her back, and so they shared a warm embrace as they fixed the broken pieces. "I've finally found you, and I don't want you to disappear from my eyes, so quit thinking about leaving. If you do, I might go insane and send out wanted ads all over the country."

She thought the man was finished with his words. Turned out he's yet to pour everything he wanted to say.

Jumin finished his speech, "I never imagined, not even yesterday, that I'd be holding you in my arms right now... now that I've touched you, I'm only getting greedy. I can feel my present self changing."

"Words become meaningful once they reached you," she mumbled nonchalantly.

"Pardon?"

"You said that before." Elizabeth smiled brightly. "Don't worry too much. Jisung and Minho will be okay. Still, we need to give them time to adjust. As much as they want to leave each other right now, they can't. Their eyes remain crystal clear like always, they're too attached to be separated."

┉┉

Too attached to be separated.

"Oi, wake up you blonde ass motherfucker." Felix clapped his hands repeatedly right in front of Jisung's face.

"My eyes are open," he answered absentmindedly.

This isn't working, Felix thought to himself. Therefore he put his middle finger on the bridge of his best friend's nose. "How many fingers am I showing?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Not enough to satisfy me."

Felix hugged Jisung tightly. Whenever Jisung started to snap away from reality, Felix would always use the middle finger method. If Jisung hasn't return to the real world, he would mutter out incoherent words like 'huh', 'nyeac', 'penis', or even 'quack'. However when he's not on crack, he would point out the way Felix's middle finger wouldn't satisfy him enough.

Jisung slapped both cheeks in unison which gained everyone's attention. Jisung was the one who planned to meet his fellow first years at McDonalds, yet he's the only one who hadn't ordered anything at all.

On the same table as him, Felix, Jeongin, Seungmin, and Hyunjin had the table full already with their never-ending orders. Seeing such familiar faces gave him throwbacks on how much they treasured each other. They were each other's first friends in school.

Jisung's mind had been clouded with many negative thoughts, thus he decided to release the burden with the people whom he can trust and talk to.

"Should I dye my hair again?" All eyes landed on Jisung in a confusing manner. "I'm getting tired of this color, but I still want to look flashy."

Hyunjin tried the Instagram filter that could change the person's hair color on Jisung and was deep in thought like his life depends on it.

"I think blue looks good on you," he suggested after several trials and errors in his head.

"What about me?" Felix perked up.

"Brown," Seungmin blurted out, "slightly reddish brown. I think you would look gorgeous as a redhead."

Felix nodded in agreement as he typed Seungmin's exact words on his phone as a reminder. "What about yourself?"

"Me?" Seungmin looked startled upon being asked on. "I don't want to dye my hair. At least not now." Next to him, Jeongin nodded, meaning he also didn't want to dye his hair so soon.

"Oh my gosh!" Jisung clapped his hands like an excited seal. "HYUNJIN! LONG HAIR! FUCKING YES! HOTTIE ALERT!"

"Holy shit," said Felix and Seungmin at the same time. Jeongin who's not accustomed to curse words said "holy water" instead of the words prior.

"MAKE IT BLONDE!" Seungmin screamed. They got the whole McDonalds looking at them from the constant pterodactyl noises coming out from a certain table because one person must brought an exciting topic within their previously dull conversation. They didn't realize how much crackhead energy they radiated, they even accidentally did TWOTEEN's crazy 13 names in 5 seconds fanchant due to excitement.

That's until they got threatened by the manager.

Felix pouted his mouth. "By the way, aren't you suppose to be sad?" He locked eyes on Jisung. "Bro, you're supposed to cry and be sad, then we're gonna make you feel better because we're such good friends. Now the atmosphere doesn't feel sentimental anymore."

Unfortunately Mr. Blondie had forgotten his intention. "Okay, so basically my mom is raising Minho hyung all this time. I was kinda stupid yesterday which ended up with me punching hyung's face and stormed out. Also Eunwoo's condition hasn't shown any improvements. Now I'm really worried and um..." he ended up ranting, in which they didn't mind.

All eyes on him, ears open, mouth sealed until he finished speaking.

"... and Elizabeth the 3rd died."

"Oh shit."

Felix couldn't find a solution to Jisung's problem. Family shit is always too complicated for him to understand.

Instead Hyunjin was the first to open his mouth. "When you trust someone, you let them go," he said.

"Huh?" Jisung was lost.

"Jisung, listen. Your dad trust your mom enough to let her go, just like how your mom trust you enough to let you go. Even if they don't have feelings for each other anymore, it doesn't matter. Your parents didn't marry each other to get divorced, meaning there's no paper to make it complicated. And if they still love each other, they can be together, right? I mean Minho hyung is technically an adult and your mom didn't adopt him, therefore if your mom return to the Han's family, Minho hyung can take care of himself."

They went silent.

Hyunjin continued, "I don't understand why you're complicating things. About Eunwoo? Listen, if you trust him, you should be praying for his health every single day, and if he doesn't make it, you have to let him go."

Seungmin shot him a glare. "Hyunjin."

"I'm speaking hypothetically," he remarked.

The atmosphere turned gloomy. No one liked it. That's when Jeongin decided to participate.

"Hyung, do you trust Eunwoo?" he asked.

"I do."

Jeongin intertwined their fingers. "Then he'll be alright. If you trust him, just let him be instead of blaming everything to Minho hyung." He then kissed his cheeks. Jeongin's known for his healing kisses on the cheeks. It's a famous source of therapy for those with weak hearts. With that he eased the older's mind by placing trails of soft kisses on his cheeks.

If Minho was the one doing this, he would turn red as tomato. Since this was done by Jeongin, he didn't blush. Instead he's feeling all warm and fuzzy. The kisses felt comforting. No therapy can beat Jeongin's kisses.

Hyunjin explained while Jisung was in the middle of receiving kisses, "When a dad, mom, or someone else is teaching their child to ride a bike, they would place their hand at the back of the seat to make sure their child is safe. It's because they don't trust their child enough to ride a bike, but then once they're convinced that it's alright, they would let them go. When you trust someone, you let them go, because you know they will come back to you even if they fell over and over again throughout their journey."

"You trust Minho hyung," Felix summed it up, "just like your mom trusted Eunwoo enough to help her raise you with your dad."

"It will be alright." Jeongin gave a big gummy smile. His braces on view.

Jisung returned the kiss to Jeongin's cheeks. "Is that why you rarely hang out with Changbin?"

"Yes and no." Felix dipped his fries on ice cream. "I know Changbin hyung won't cheat on me and besides... he's rarely available because he's too busy overthinking his life's decisions."

"What about you two?" He shifted his attention to Seungmin and Hyunjin. He had received so much love and attention, the others deserved it too.

Hyunjin laughed. "My house is crowded every single day. Ever since Chunhua lived here, she would invite Walmart with several other girls from the class for some girls party. When she's not inviting anyone, Minhyun hyung would invite his fellow colleagues for chess tournament or probably playing Papa's Pizzeria together. Oh, how I wish my house is as big as yours."

"That's why Hyunjin and I prefer going out for some fresh air. Since we're outside all the time, we're in charge of buying feminine products for the girls," Seungmin added. By hearing their story, Jisung's now confirmed that they're actually an old married couple.

Then it's Felix's turn to share good news. "I bought four stag beetles and called them The Beatles. I also bought a hamster and named her Emily Grace." As always, he's concerning.

"And you?" he asked Jeongin. All eyes landed on him in curiosity. Jeongin almost never talked about his life, thus it rose their curiosity.

Jeongin's used to being public attention, yet somehow he's getting nervous.

"Chan hyung confessed to me."

Silent. Utter silence surrounding.

"WHAT?!" Their reaction was somewhat delayed. They couldn't believe their ears.

Then Jisung recalled that time when Chan mentioned something about liking someone who he assumed had nothing to do with his friends since most of them are taken. Jeongin was one of the remaining single pringle ones, but everyone knew many students were actually crushing on him. Who wouldn't? He's nice, cute, smart, and whatnots. However no one's brave enough to ask him out. Since his position within the school's society is very respected, it would be a sin to confess, or at least that's how most people would think about the situation.

Chan was most definitely not one of them.

"What did you say to him?" Seungmin was sure fast at reacting to these things.

Jeongin shrugged. "I said it's a poor decision."

"And then?" All eyes focused on him.

Jeongin had no choice but to share the experience. "He then explained various reasons why he found me attractive by mentioning all the little things which I found both fascinating and creepy at the same times."

A smile was plastered on his face when Jeongin told the story of Chan's confession. A lot of things happened between them which everyone's not aware of. Despite being the so-called perfect student, Chan would still help him with the materials Jeongin failed to understand in class but too scared to ask. He would visit Jeongin's house in the name of private tutoring because his parents didn't allow Jeongin to leave the house at night. Except for his few close friends, Chan's one of the people who knew how strict Jeongin's parents are.

The thing that didn't cross his mind was how the older has feelings for him. Not that Jeongin disliked him, like hell he would. It's just he never viewed Chan romantically. In fact, he never viewed anyone romantically. That approach had been buried down in his mind.

Growing up as an only child in a strict household, Jeongin had troubles sorting out his feelings to the stage where he ditched them completely. His parents warned him multiple times not to be too close to girls, but at the same time they told him not to be gay as well. It's not that he's closeted, it's more like he's sexually confused. Therefore whenever he had to answer regarding to his sexuality, he would say he's pomosexual because he felt like he didn't fit in any labels for a particular kind of attraction.

He added, "I'm kinda happy that he didn't force me to answer. It was like he expected me not to return the feelings, though I feel bad for him."

Felix patted his shoulder. "You know, getting rejected is a pain in the ass, so you should probably treat him slushies, though it's not technically your fault, but simply cause you have manners and shit."

"Speaking from experience." Jisung coughed, whereas Felix choked on ice cubes. Meanwhile Hyunjin and Seungmin were frozen, not knowing what to say to their soon to be adoptive child. Although seeing Jeongin being more open sure made them feel better.

It was a nice friendly meeting they had that day. Letting out all the shits they had been wanting to say before they became constipated truly strengthened their bond. The next thing they knew was school days coming closer, hence they better bury the happiness away before school took it.

┉┉

"How do we not miss each other? Well we truly miss each other when we apart," said Changbin while repairing his rifle, "the only thing that prevents me from going insane whenever I miss someone's presence is by looking at the things they left behind to keep me occupied. Like this rifle!" He pointed his rifle towards Minho who flinched in response.

"Why do you keep pointing that thing to me? That's scary." Minho took two steps behind.

The shorter only laughed. "Chill, dude. I don't have any ammo or else I would be shooting all the annoying bitches who walks so slowly on a buss sidewalk."

Minho agreed. "Yeah, those people are annoying."

On a similar note as Jisung and his fellow first year's friends, Minho and Changbin spent the last day of school's holiday at the mall, buying all kinds of slushies before having a good talk.

Unlike Jisung and his friends, the things they talked about were mostly unrelated to the recent drama between Jisung and Minho. Instead of sticking his nose into the same business, Minho decided it's best to get some space because he had spent so much time with Jisung, thus he might as well enjoy his time with his sit partner whom he rarely talk to.

He guessed it's nice to hear Changbin's love story instead of his own since the latter's relationship seemed less complicated than his own.

"There's something wrong with Jisung, isn't it?" Changbin shot the question right to his meow meow.

Startled, Minho unconsciously gulped too much slushies at a short amount of times, causing him to suffer from brain freeze for the next ten seconds.

"Not like that. It's just hard to understand him nowadays," he admitted. His hand reaching for another slushies to devour.

"Understandable, have a nice day," said Changbin. He didn't proceed to ask him further from the way he looked uncomfortable with the topic. They continued the conversation by gossiping over another student who had sex with the teacher a year ago for the sake of getting straight As.

They didn't realize themselves how distance helped them cope with every day's life. Although they did that before, this time felt different. This time they didn't bother to text each other, check out social medias, meeting up, etcetera.

School was okay too. No, it was shitty as usual. They studied at their separated classes, both filled with whining within every seconds. On the other hand, Fox Army went active again as they held public prayers every once in a week to keep themselves from decomposing, also to prevent the students from fucking school because it's impossible to physically fuck school.

When Minho felt like he's so done with school and its shit, he paid a visit to Jisung's class just before the boy left the classroom. Felix, Jeongin, Seungmin, and Hyunjin were still there to make TikTok's video, whereas Jisung was busy packing his stuff. That's when Minho decided to say the worst pick up lines he's ever came out with.

He noticed the latter had dyed his hair blue, therefore he wanted to give him a pick up line that would suit his hair.

He went to Jisung's table without warning. "Hey, gorgeous. Your eyes are as blue as the ocean, and baby I’m lost at sea."

"Hyung, my eyes are brown," said Jisung with much concern.

The rest of them laughed their asses off. Meanwhile Minho could only mentally cursed himself for saying "eyes" instead of "hair".

"Sexual intercourse my life!"

┉┉


	57. 55

Love is a magic feeling. Once you have slipped, you can't simply go back up. That's exactly the case when Minho was caught staring at Jisung's blue hair for ten hours ten minutes.

Not literally.

After suffering from the first few weeks of school and nothing else, Minho finally had the chance to ask Jisung on a date after a long time of physical distancing. It was difficult to arrange the time because the teachers were not giving them an easy time. Even a perfect student like Jeongin couldn't make sense on why do the teachers gave so much homework when they're too lazy to check them anyways.

Samuel opened the front gate of the Han's mansion as soon as he spot a nervous wreck Minho outside. He handed over the boy to Bambam as he guided him to Jisung's room which he already knew beforehand.

The moment Jisung opened the door, Minho remembered how poor he was compared to the younger. In his eyes Jisung always looked good, yet today he looked even better which sounds almost impossible.

That's the first time he saw the younger wore a turtleneck with a vintage Chanel's coat and a pair of trousers that matched his whole look. To complete his look, Jisung wore a breton cap and a nice pair of gloves since it's still so cold outside. Seeing Jisung's fit made him wanted to trespass his bedroom and steal his closet, though he immediately ditched such ideas because he believed he's not hot enough to nail any look Jisung could pull off effortlessly.

Also because he's afraid to find more people he might or might not recognize inside the closet. We never know who's hiding in the closet. Probably the ones reading this while trying to suppress their feelings of getting exposed.

"Snack," Minho mumbled under his breath. Before Jisung got the chance to question him, he proceeded on taking the younger's hand and threw him gently to his car.

"To where?" Jisung asked as he fastened the seat belt.

To be frank, Minho didn't have any plan although he was the one to initiate the date. He turned on the engine. "I don't have a specific place in mind," he admitted, "if you want to go somewhere, then I'll take us there."

Out of every reaction he could recite in his head, nothing compares to Jisung's soft chuckle. He sounded so angelic just by laughing, Minho wondered on how such creature exist.

"Hyung, you're always so dumb," he said jokingly. Looking to his side, the older seemed to be flustered and Jisung found it adorable.

He recalled the old days where he was the more flustered one, whereas Minho was still in his confused gay state. After getting to know his boyfriend more and more each day, he had grown more relaxed, especially beside him.

There's nothing to hide anymore. Moreover they've known each other's secrets to the point where those secrets caused conflict between them.

Jisung didn't answer Minho's question. With that the the older continued to drive the car anywhere within the city, going aimlessly to different places only to pass them. Outside was too cold anyway.

"How's school?" asked Jisung while applying lip balm.

Going to another intersection, he answered, "So-so. I've been meaning to ask Changbin to teach me, yet he's just the same as me. I ended up studying on my own because I couldn't understand anything the teachers taught us. I mean, teachers be like, 'do you have any question?' and sometimes they don't understand that most times students don't ask questions because they are so lost to the point where no questions appear in our brain, but then they would go, 'if you don't have any questions, then I'm giving you some' like the heck? We just learned the material, there's no way we memorized them already. Then everyone would go nuts and start asking questions to avoid being asked, but then the teacher goes, 'oh my! I had explained that. Were you not paying attention when I was explaining?' like bitch, you basically forced us to ask or else they would talk like, 'smart people are always full of questions' as if they're implying us as dumbasses." He kept rambling in which Jisung could understand since he experienced the same pain.

His remonstration hits too close to home.

"I-" Jisung had never felt so sympathetic until Minho started releasing his grudge towards the goddamn teachers. "Thank God Mr. D is kinda chill."

Minho wasn't done. "One time the teacher told me to solve an equation, but I couldn't get it right due to some mistakes I did from the beginning, then Mr. Ho embarrassed me in front of the class. He kept talking even after school hours so that the rest of the students hate me because I'm the reason why they couldn't go home, even if he's the one to dismiss the class, not the bell."

"I know Mr. Ho!" Jisung clicked his fingers. "I heard a rumor that he once called a female student 'slut' just because she has hypersexual disorder. Does he realize his name rhymes with hoe which refers to his attitude?"

"That's not a rumor, it's real," he clarified, "that student is Changbin's neighbor who's a year above Chan hyung. The incident happened 2 years ago, hence she immediately left the school due to embarrassment. Changbin said the girl couldn't walk normally in school anymore without having people badmouthing her. Poor lady."

"Is it just me, but don't you feel like the worst teachers will never get kicked out although they have bad records, whereas all the good teachers disappear after a year of teaching?" This thought had been bugging him for a long time and he knew he's not the only one sharing that viewpoint when he glanced sideways to see Minho nodding his head in a very frustrated way.

Hands remained intertwined with the wheel, Minho shrugged. "Perhaps because they don't like the environment. Not only students, teachers must socialize with fellow teachers which can be quite a handful."

"Sucks to be them." Their discussion lasted longer than usual. No one expected the topic to be this refreshing. Talking about other people's rotten-like behavior somewhat eased the heart, building positivity from God knows where.

Jisung had acknowledged his mistakes. He realized how terrible he acted in the past. To be honest, he felt a little bit ashamed of his own behavior, even though the pressure he suffered from that day alone was unbearable. It made sense. His explosive tantrum showed how much a day could fuck him to the point where he lost it.

Honestly exchanging unimportant chitchats to the older made him realize how important the other boy and how much impact a single person could do to one's life.

If it wasn't for the unimportant chitchats, Jisung wouldn't know how much of a talker Minho's truly is. For no reason he liked that side of him.

"Hyung," Jisung called him out suddenly.

"Yes, Sung-ie?"

Sung-ie. Jisung's lips curved upwards without him noticing.

"Let's go to your house." Minho turned his head to Jisung upon hearing the request. He thought he misheard something when he's not. Jisung didn't hesitate.

"Pardon?" he asked nevertheless.

Jisung took out his favorite lip balm and applied it on Minho's lips in order for him to shut him up. It worked.

"I said, let's fucking go to your fucking house, please." Jisung found out he still got a lot to work on with his limited vocabularies. "I am horny."

"You are what?" Thank goodness the conversation happened during red-light.

A very loud, hurtful noise came out from Jisung's pores. "Fucking pink fairies everywhere! Sorry, I meant hungry not horny."

Approximately fifteen minutes later, the flustered gays arrived at Minho's residence. Good for them.

While Minho was preparing tea, Jisung went to Minho's room to find some good TV shows to watch. After switching channels between channels, Jisung turned it off for he was unable to find a decent programme.

Jisung himself wasn't quite sure what form of devil possessed within his body, most likely due to the alcohol drinks he had at dawn for playing truth or dare with Bambam, Jisung's still not 100% sober. He's not drunk anymore, but he's not completely sober as well.

The boy was cocksure that he's been maintaining a human-like behavior, nonetheless when he got to visit Minho's house, specifically his bedroom, his dick energy rose higher than his IQ.

"Shit, I really miss him," he spoke to himself as he grasped the reality he's in.

It was blindly obvious that the two had been holding their true feelings the whole time. Even for blind people. The scene of them talking mindlessly like they had no beef the other days was only a façade. The words clogged up in their throats, unable to reach both parties.

When the door opened revealing Minho as he put the tea he made specially for Jisung, the younger suddenly felt needy. It's been awhile since their lips touch. The last time they shared a loving kiss was before Christmas holiday which was one of the reason on why he couldn't get his eyes off Minho's lips.

Plus, he's a little bit tipsy too.

Without further ado, he lessened the distance between them as he pressed their lips together. He was going for an easier kiss, but his lips kept going whatsoever. He snaked his hands on Minho's back before advancing to his hair. Minho automatically found his way to the latter's waist while handling Jisung's surprisingly aggressive demeanor.

He went from 'I am going to punch you in the mouth with my own mouth softly because I like you' to 'I will destroy your lips with mine because I am modestly lonely and horny'.

The kiss wasn't even that long before the two went gasping for air. When Minho thought it's over and they could continue their activities, Jisung had already pushed his body to the mattress, leaving the older startled upon each and every moves he's about to demonstrate.

In Jisung's head, he had no clue on what's driving him to do what he's about to do. All he could see were images consist of bits of scenes from the past; like the day when his mother left him, the day when he met Minho for the first time, the day when they spent the night underneath the moonlight, even the day when he friendzoned him.

The days he spent to the fullest are the days he spent with Minho.

The realization hit him like a truck. That chain of overthinking clashed with other things he's frustrated with. As if he pour his overflowing emotions to his unwitting actions marked by the lack of forethought. Not to mention the spark of drunk thoughts he's full of.

Minho yelped when Jisung started straddling him on his own bed. He was in the middle of processing the situation when he noticed a pair of lips greeted him once again, but this time felt a little bit more audacious. As he assumed the latter was on his climax, the way Jisung's hands roamed over his body signaled how he has just begun.

Too much stuff happened within a short amount of time. This time Minho's back had already made contact with the bedsheets and with Jisung on top of him. He stared at him wide eyes, though they looked empty to Minho.

At the beginning, he just let Jisung do whatever he wants. However looking from his harsh movements, Minho was getting more uncomfortable. Don't get it wrong. He enjoys receiving love from Jisung, but it doesn't mean he likes everything as well. He needed context.

"Stop it, please." Jisung's eyes widened upon hearing Minho's rebuttal. The boy quickly stepped back as he just snapped back to reality. Once he realized what on earth he had done to Minho, regrets overtook him.

Jisung slapped his cheeks loudly. "Hyung, I am so sorry. I went overboard with everything and-" He was cut off guard once he caught a side of Minho's palms landed softly on his cheeks, then proceeded to gently rub his thumbs at the part where they stung due to his own action.

"Sung-ie, I love you so much and I always take every words you said into considerations, so let me tell you straight away where you got it all wrong," he said as he cupped the younger's cheeks.

"Okay," he responded.

They locked eyes. "First of all, I'm sorry for Eunwoo. In case if you insist that you're just overreacting, I will still take the blame because it was partially my fault," he explained. Jisung listened thoroughly. "Second, I don't know anything about your family, but your mom is your mom, not mine. Yes, you have the right to make your own decision, but please consider letting your mom back in your life. She belongs to your family."

Jisung's heart was beating so fast from all the nervousness he had been keeping every time he imagined them having a deep serious talk. Minho's tone was kind of scary, he's not sure how to react.

"Lastly I wanna tell you how much you mean to me. I am sure that the person I really love is Han Jisung. Not because he resembles someone, but for he way he is.

"Thank you," said Jisung. "I also wanna say sorry for punching you the other day. I also apologize for overreacting. I wasn't considerate enough to handle the situation. That day was a slap on my face. That's why I didn't dare to approach you. I was too scared of my own reaction."

"It's okay. You were in a difficult position. If I were you, I would also lost myself," he reassured.

"So, are we good now?" he asked in case Minho wanted to say anything else.

He nodded. "We're good."

"I'm so glad, I could—" Before Jisung could finish his sentence, he broke into tears. Instead of sad tears, his tears embodied the amount of happiness he felt. A huge burden had been lifted.

It was a funny sight to Minho. Jisung looked so ridiculously vulnerable, considering the things he had done a couple of minutes ago. He pulled him into a tight embrace. Jisung hugged him tightly too.

The cup of tea, unfortunately, turned cold.

They were so busy hugging, even Jisung almost failed to notice the way his name is written on Minho's upper arm. His curiosity once again sparked.

"Hyung," he called as Minho gave his attention to him, "is that my name on your left arm?"

"Huh? Right," he admitted. "I was having a lunch with Changbin and I accidentally stole his rice cake."

"Your point is?"

He continued, "He got really mad and told me something like 'if it doesn't have your name on it, then it obviously doesn't belong to you!' and after that I had this super idea."

Jisung already knew where this is going. Of course he wasn't ready.

Minho recounted, "I immediately thought that I should write your name on me because I belong to you."

Jisung stared at him wide eyed. He was too flustered, a single word didn't escape from his mouth. Minho took the silence to observe the latter's eyes who's intensely staring him.

"You really have the prettiest eyes in the whole world," he thought out loud. "I think I've told you that before, that I really like your eyes."

However Jisung declined. "They're not that beautiful. Besides, you haven't traveled around the world to check everyone's eyes. I bet other people from all around the world have prettier eyes."

"But my world revolves around you."

"I am honored." Contrary to his head, he sounded calm. Way too calm.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Smooth ass motherfucker, he said aloud in his head. He didn't want to lose the cheesy competition, therefore he tried to recall the romantic remarks they shared together.

"By the way. Hyung, I'm glad we met, like really, truly, deeply, honestly, thoroughly glad we met at a very random time that day." The scenery of their first encounter near the school gate brought back memories.

Instead of reacting all fluffy, he laughed.

His reaction surprised him. "Why are you laughing? I was being serious!"

"I know." Still laughing.

"If you know then why are you laughing?" He was getting worried.

"Baby, that day wasn't as random as you thought it was."

┉┉


	58. 56

"Did you just call me baby?"

"Did I stutter?" Minho retorted his question.

"You don't, but—" Jisung couldn't find proper words to describe the butterflies in his stomach. "Wait a damn minute, what did you say about us meeting?" He changed the subject faster than 3Racha's rap.

Minho laid his body onto the mattress. This time he's the one pulling Jisung with him, so that they both lied comfortably beside one another. With their eyes gazed upwards to the ceiling, Minho rested his head on his own arms.

"You know I've known some of your friends before I get to know you, right?" Minho opened with a question.

"Uh, uh," he replied, "Felix and Hyunjin."

He clicked his tongue. "Correct! Dance club brought us together, even I know Hyunjin before he went to high school."

"What? I didn't know that!" the younger exclaimed a little too dramatically. Minho gave him a warning not to scream randomly again when they're lying ear to ear, in which Jisung complied because he also didn't expect his voice to come out so loudly.

Jisung puffed his cheeks. "Not fair. No one has ever told me about this."

"I'm literally right here." His eyes looked dead. "Anyways Felix wouldn't stop blabbering about this Jisung guy which I didn't understand that time."

Images of memories from his early sophomore year when he was too shy to approach the juniors he met at the dance club formed again like puzzle pieces. He was supposed to introduce the club activities and members, but he ended up sacrificing one of his fellow with the 'spare me' face.

"Hyung! I can't believe we meet again," said Hyunjin as he scooted closer to Minho's side. A breath of relief escaped him from seeing such a familiar face before he went to bro-hug him.

Minho's face lit up. "Hyunjin, how have you been?" It's only been a year, yet Minho wondered how that one year changed his appearance. He looked much taller within a year. He found it to be unfair.

"Like usual. You know... disappointing my family." They laughed it off together. As far as he knew Hyunjin, that boy was known for making sarcastic remarks about his family because he would never be as smart as his older brother.

In a spur of the moment, an uninvited boy sneaked his head in curiosity. "Did I just hear the word disappointment? Cause same!" His hands touched their shoulders as if he's part of this conversation.

Minho jumped back. "Who are you?"

Hyunjin seemed a little confused on why he didn't recognize the boy. "You don't remember Felix?"

"Felix who?" he asked back.

"Lee Felix. He's a newbie at our dance studio in middle school." He was about to say more about Felix before he remembered something. "Right, sorry. I forgot you left the studio before he joined. My bad."

"Anygays I'm Felix!" He shook hands with Minho properly with the biggest grin plastered on his face. Who knows whose hamster runs his mind?

"Minho. Lee Minho. Nice to see you." The awkwardness still lingering in him.

Thank goodness Felix was good in carrying the conversation. "Hyung, you are really pretty. I'm not telling you this because I'm gay and attracted to you, I'm actually being objective. You are really pretty up close." Honestly Minho didn't know how to handle Felix's compliment.

"Thank you," he simply said.

Felix didn't seem satisfied with the answer. "No, no, no. You're literally the embodiment of pretty. I bet you would look gorgeous in a wedding suit with my best bro."

Minho was beyond confused.

Felix let out a laughter. "I promise I'll introduce you to him sometimes. He's a rare catch."

"Felix, I appreciate your effort, but I don't swing that way," he refused. Meanwhile Hyunjin didn't mind the way Felix stole his moment with Minho as he casually danced in front of the mirror, unbothered.

"Dammit, not again," he murmured, "then what about Yeji? She's a girl and she's definitely nice to share your opinion with."

Hyunjin who was occupied in his own little world abruptly stopped doing what he's doing. "Not her."

"Why not?"

"She's obviously not the type to suddenly engage in a relationship." Then he returned back to his business.

Felix began to lose hopes in humanity. That's when Minho brought that sense of humanity back.

"That friend of yours. Why don't you introduce me to him sometimes?" He gave a smile which has the ability to cure cancer. "I don't mind being friends with him."

Minho didn't like the idea of dating guys, but when he remembered how Felix referred that guy as his best bro, he low-key wanted to know him just to know what kind of people Felix often hung out with. Besides, he's not so good with girls, judging from his past relationship, though he attracts girls wherever he goes due to his high skill in using pick up lines. He much preferred hanging out with guys and it's not a bad idea to widen his knowledge in others.

Since Minho claimed his interest on Jisung, Felix used this opportunity to promote them better than JYPE at promoting their artists. He was okay at first until he realized the younger would never stop talking. His interest to befriend Jisung slowly faded away, but that's when Felix said the magic words.

"He has a cat."

Minho began malfunctioning. "God bless."

Felix looked at him weirdly. "Okay, but please pretend you don't know about his cat's existence or else he would suspect me."

"Deal."

From there he launched this plan to approach Jisung in a coolest way as possible. He suggested to borrow Felix's name in order to get his attention. Felix also poured some of his ideas to arrange the time and date that would be perfect based on whatever satanic calendar he used.

Then the plan commenced.

From the moment he saw Jisung waiting for his driver patiently outside the school building with the sun radiating enough warmth for Jisung to delight in, he decided to made his approach. It all began when he suddenly landed his wet, sweaty hand on Jisung's shoulder, much to his surprise.

"How can I help you?"

"WAIT, YOU PLANNED THE WHOLE THING?" Jisung couldn't believe his ears, although he had just been told.

"I couldn't do it without Felix's help," he admitted.

Thinking how Minho tried so hard to get to know him made his insides feel tingly. Butterflies in his stomach coming from God knows where.

"The more I know about you, the more fascinated I become." Jisung rolled his body to place a gentle kiss on his lips, then returned to his position.

"Same goes for you." He turned his body to face him. "I don't even know you can be so horny at times." The scene of Jisung forcefully kissing him on his bed replied in his mind.

Another blush crept in. "Hyung, I said I'm sorry," he whined, didn't sound like he's sorry.

"And I said it's okay. If we talked first about our true intentions, I wouldn't have stopped you. Like hell, I would unleash the demon within me." He laughed afterwards, Jisung didn't. He was too busy controlling his blood pressure. "Besides, your kisses are sloppy," he added.

For Jisung, Minho was his fist kiss both intentionally and unintentionally. He never learned the technique to successfully master a make out session. He's only been using his gut feelings and from the kdramas and movies he had witnessed.

Out of the blue, Minho suggested an idea that made him insane.

"Sung-ie, is it okay if Hyung teaches you to kiss properly?"

His brain cells started decomposing at that point. It's not like he disliked the idea, he loved it. However, he was too flustered to react normally. He just wished Minho would kiss him right away at that second to prevent him from embarrassing himself further.

As if Minho could utilize telepathy, he granted his dying wish and scooted closer to find his lips. This time the kiss felt slower and more gentle than usual, unlike what it's like in his wildest dream.

Minho unexpectedly broke the kiss. "To start, you should be gentle because you don't want to cause a heart attack. Once you put someone in a shocking state, it would be hard for the other party to get into the mood anymore, they could even go defensive, unless you can made them feel relaxed again." Minho proceeded to kiss him slowly again to emphasize the pace he's talking about.

Turns out Minho really meant it when he's referring to teach him.

The younger arrived to his stable state of mind as he got comfortable with the kiss. Somehow he enjoyed the pace. The slower he kissed him, the more excited he became.

After seconds of slow kissing, the older began to move his hands that were placed on his cheeks to his back, then continued to graze his back until he reached his waist. In that moment, Minho took his chance to deepen the kiss. They continued sharing warm kisses until they're out of breath.

"Holy tampons, you're a professional," chirped the latter as he let out heavy breathings.

"I told you." He clicked his tongue, looking rather innocent contrary to his actions. "Are you tired?" he went asking all at once.

He shrugged. "Not really. Why?"

"Come sit on my lap." He patted his own things, giving him gestures to sit there.

"O-okay." Calm your tits, Jisung. You've been there before, he recollected himself fully. Based on experience, the feelings that heretofore were confined to such embarrassing state had been broken down to pieces.

He moved his ass to Minho's thighs, facing him head on by instinct. He knew how beautiful Minho had always been, but this time he couldn't help himself from not keeping his thoughts in his head.

"Hyung, you look beautiful," he blurted out without thinking. Sometimes there are moments where he speaks or acts before he thinks. This is one of those moments.

Minho raised an eyebrow. "Is that a backhanded compliment?"

Jisung went panic. "No, no, no, no. I would never performed such nasty habits—"

"Just kidding." He pinched the other boy's cheeks. "I've heard people calling me pretty or beautiful many times in my life. However hearing it from you right now makes me happy. I should thank my parents for passing on their great genes to me."

"Thank you Mr. Lee and Mrs. Lee!" Minho's face beamed upon having Jisung's words enclasped his heart.

"Sung-ie," he called. The mentioned boy made a 'hmm' sound. He really couldn't hide his excitement, could he? He asked himself, unknowingly doubted the power of the nickname he gave him. "Open your mouth this time." He gave a reassuring smile.

Without spending another second, he did as told. His breath smelled amazing, thanks to Bambam's mouthwash recommendation. When he was busy flexing, Minho's lips inched forward. This time with his tongue entering. He could sense Minho's tongue asking for permission. Gladly he nodded before letting Minho's tongue explore him orally.

His hands automatically reached for his hair. While having Minho's hands holding his waist with care as he focused on the kiss, Jisung's fingers ran along his hair lines. Ruffling his puffy hair, whereas his legs circled his body to maintain balance.

They didn't realize how much time they spent making out. Right after several attempts, they plopped their bodies on the mattress again, now cuddling. Compare to other dates they had so far, this one undoubtedly won first place. Thank goodness Minho's chaotic cats were asleep or else they might gotten interrupted midway.

Talking about interruptions, a knock was heard on the other side of Minho's bedroom door.

"The door's unlocked," Minho informed. The door then opened, revealing no one else but Elizabeth, Jisung's mother.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No," answered Minho, "we're done with stuffs."

"Stuffs, yeah..." Jisung snorted, fingers scratching his head.

Notwithstanding the untouched tea, Elizabeth felt proud. "So are you two good now?"

Good? Jisung found himself confused once again.

Minho gave her a thumbs up. "Yup! We're good."

"What do you mean?" He couldn't hide his curiosity.

"Auntie has been worrying about us lately. I already said it's alright cause I know I will resolve our tension beforehand," he explained. Jisung listened attentively.

"By the way where have you been?" Minho asked him. Jisung could only stay frozen.

"The hospital," she said.

Minho had a bemused expression. "What happened?"

"Don't worry. I'll tell you later." She put on a smile, though it's obvious she seemed more tired than usual.

She's worried about me. What kind of son am I? A rush of guilt spreading throughout his body. With clenched fists, he punched his thighs in anger.

Jisung always had mixed feelings whenever his mother got involved. He loved her, though she left him. He wanted to hate her for interfering the new life he had built with Jumin, but guilt never escaped his body. Now? He just wanted a hug.

He could resolve his problem with Minho. That force itself drove him to move on from the kind of life he thought he's living in. At the end of the day, blood remains thicker than water.

Following his train of thoughts, Jisung left the bed to approach his mother. He walked close enough until he could see his reflection in her eyes. Beautiful as always.

"Can I h-hug you?" he stuttered. He watched as Elizabeth's eyes widened. In that moment, that second, he said the magic word, "Mommy?"

Elizabeth's previously tired eyes changed drastically. Well, she still looked tired, yet she appeared more lively. Her eyes sparkled upon hearing Jisung's magic word. What can she do? Of course she granted her son's wish. She put her arms around his body. Memories flashing back at once. All those years they spent in their separated ways had come to its destination. The road they took made its way to the same pit stop. She couldn't ask for more.

Jisung was no different. His hug went tighter and tighter. He felt like she would go away if he didn't hug her tight enough. Nonetheless such thoughts vanished when he noticed Elizabeth's tears drenching his clothes.

Throughout his life he didn't remember how many times he cried. Crying had been his coping mechanism on facing rough days. He's seen other people cry too. It's a normal thing to do. However at this second, his heart hurt. A mother's tears evoke unconditional love for her child. Finally had the chance to discover its feeling, he muttered out words of gratitude over and over again. At first he wanted to apologize, yet discarded the idea. After all, people tend to appreciate the words "Thank you" more than "I'm sorry".

"Jisung, can you give me another chance, please?" she pleaded. Her voice sounded desperate. "I want to become a great mother for you, I want to become a great wife for Jumin, and I want to become a great Auntie for Minho. Will you give me a chance to redeem myself? Will you let me enter your life again?" Her eyes locked with Jisung's. How could he resist?

He replied, "Mommy, I will give you as many chances as you like. Take your time, we'll always be here for you."

"Thank you, sweetie. I will not make you regret your words. I promise."

Minho must admit that he enjoyed the scenery in front of him, but he wouldn't say he's completely okay when he's in fact, felt a tiny winey bit left out. Immediately he brushed such thoughts away, knowing it's not a good emotion and it must be eliminated from the earth's surface.

He didn't remember the moment when Jisung took his hand. Everything happened so fast. After merely 5 seconds, he found himself also hugging Elizabeth with Jisung, therefore it's called group hug.

"Minho, there's something I want to tell you," she conceded.

"What is it?" His eyebrows scrutinized as he gave her a reluctant smile.

Elizabeth caressed Minho's forehead. "Whenever your heart feels uneasy, remember that your parents will always be happy for you because you've grown to a very independent person. You can take care of yourself and for others too without asking for anything in return. I know Jisung must be feeling the same."

"Yup!" He turned his attention to Minho. "You're more amazing than what you thought you are. Furthermore you're beautiful. When I said you're beautiful, I wasn't only talking about your appearance. It's a known fact that you're insanely attractive, but your heart is also beautiful."

"Thank you." He couldn't help but blush after receiving such wonderful compliments. He's one lucky guy to be surrounded with nice people.

Elizabeth added, "I haven't told you this yet." She stopped caressing his forehead to gain his attention. "Your parents are aware of Jisung's existence. I've told her about Jisung once, and before they died, your mother wished for both of you to meet someday in the future. Who knows we're already there? We've reached the destination. Her wish has been granted, and she must be thankful for that."

"She really said that?" He couldn't believe his ears. All the things Elizabeth said seemed too good to be true. Never he imagined he would cross path with Jisung when he was little. Never he imagined to fulfill her mother's last wish in the aftermath.

"Yes," she clarified. "A mother's prayer is very powerful. Looks like she's been keeping you safe from up there."

Her words had so much impact for Minho. He couldn't describe his state of mind with words. However, he's happy and aware of that. He's happy to know someone's watching him and it's not a creepy stalker, but his parents. He's happy to be able to live such a fulfilling life he wouldn't imagine in a million years.

"That makes me so happy," he finally said. Glancing from his side, Jisung could feel himself smiling too because he knew.

He knew he wasn't lying.

┉┉


	59. 57

"Woah, I'm actually pretty..." Minho had been staring at his reflection for almost 3 minutes straight. The song he played on Spotify had almost come to an end. He really liked the song, especially the 'stop procrastinating' part.

Wearing his favorite suit used for special occasions only, he took one more glance to the mirror before disappearing to the kitchen.

He prepared breakfast for his cats; Soon-ie, Doong-ie, Dori. As soon as they heard Minho scattering the cupboard for cats' necessity, Soon-ie jumped to Minho's feet in excitement. Meanwhile Doong-ie waited patiently while having the youngest, Dori, playing with a ball of yarn.

Same shit as always, but Minho loved that same shit.

"I should've worn the suit after I fed them," he muttered by himself.

Looking at his watch, he put on his one and only tie while waiting for someone. When he finished with everything, he went outside and locked his front door. As expected, a car had just arrived in front of his house. The window lowered down, revealing the driver who he had been waiting for.

"Get in, losers. We're going shopping," said Hyunjin as he unlocked the doors for Minho to enter.

Minho went inside the car to be met with so many familiar faces: Hyunjin, Seungmin, Changbin, Felix, Chunhua, and Jeongin. The car was packed with people, he could barely fit in.

"Where's Jisung and Chan?" he asked when he realized some faces were missing.

Felix sighed. "Chan hyung is using his own car. That rich bastard..." he revealed, "Jisung is already there since he has tons of shits to do. Poor guy, he's always so busy."

"Wow, the contrast..." Changbin snickered.

"Shut up. We all know I love Jisung more than Chan hyung," he hissed. "Hyung, aren't you the same?"

"Hehe... Crispy sucks," Changbin agreed. Ever since the two dated, Changbin's hatred for Chan spread to Felix like how Covid-19 dominates the world. The moment Changbin and Chan stopped having beef is starting to sound a lot like 'when One Direction is getting back together' which is almost impossible.

While Felix and Changbin were busy talking about Chan behind his back, the rest acted normal, with Seungmin on the front seat to help Hyunjin with the direction since Google Maps couldn't do anything right, Jeongin sitting at the very back, looking outside the window with an expression that Minho could scarcely recognized, and Chunhua sleeping next to him despite Felix and Changbin were being so loud.

It's been two years since Jisung and Minho had a reconciliation at Minho's house. The first years were no longer juniors. They're seniors with a sad life because being a senior sucks. Chan and Changbin had already spent their separate university life, with Chan studying in the most prestigious business school within the same city, while Changbin studied literature in a university that's a little far from where he lived, which means Felix and him couldn't spent as much time as they used to have. Felix didn't mind that, especially since he's trying to create a miracle with his grades in school.

No one had ever heard any news about Woojin anymore. They sort of forgot him after Chan told them the truth.

Back to business.

Today's a special day. Unlike any other special occasions, this one's particularly important. As spring gradually morphed into summer, the rise of temperature of June made the day even better for such event. There's no way they could choose a better day than today, considering the sixth month is considered a lucky month for weddings because it's named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage.

No, Jisung and Minho aren't getting married, yet. In fact, these two and a couple of others were on their way to attend Jumin and Elizabeth's wedding celebration. A special occasion indeed.

He didn't understand what took them two years to plan and consider the marriage, but everyone saw it coming from the bridge of their nose.

In view of the fact that Jisung was involved in the preparation, the reserved guests took their time to go shopping for gifts. At first they were going for individual gifts, but as soon as they realized how grand the party's going to be, they planned on giving something more refined because it's for the Han's; the wealthy, distinguished, accomplished, high-toned family with a moneyed lifestyle. Despite the fact that they have already established a good reputation in the family, they still wanted to make themselves look good, given that the guests are probably rich enough to afford three supermarkets like how they buy choco balls after school hours.

Minho couldn't remember how long had he been imagining Jisung in a suit. His cheeks flushed in red just by having these thoughts alone. The more he went deeper in thought, the clearer the picture formed in his mind. When he was in the peak of his mental drooling, Changbin nudged on his shoulder, bringing himself back to reality.

"We're here." He pointed outside. Minho's eyes automatically followed the direction of Changbin's index finger.

"Why are we in a hair salon?" Minho finally registered what's happening to them.

"To get your hair done, duh. What do you expect? This is not a pawnshop." Seungmin rolled his eyes. "Changbin hyung, why don't you accompany Minho hyung to the hair salon? I trust you."

Felix spoke out of the blue, "Talking about shops, do you guys know that in 2000 a man from North Carolina discovered the meaning of life and decided to sell it on eBay?" To be honest, Jeongin was genuinely interested in Felix's story, but pretended not to since everyone's ignoring him.

Ignoring Felix, Minho shook his head. "Wait, this isn't about me. Aren't we supposed to buy gifts?"

"We are," he cleared, "but you're gonna have your hair polished because you need to look extra handsome in front of your parents in law."

Felix didn't seem to agree with the choice of person. "Why are we sending Binnie? Can Chunhua accompany him instead?"

Again, Seungmin looked displeased. "No. We need her to help us choose the most appropriate gift for the Han's."

"What are you planning to buy anyway?" Minho questioned.

"Sex toys," he deadpanned.

Minho couldn't believe his ears. "That's not very appropriate."

"I asked Jisung beforehand about his dad's interest and he told me Jumin is into BDSM. I don't know how the hell he managed to obtain such information, but we can't disappoint them," he explained with the most relaxed expression, though the words he muttered out were out of this world.

Hyunjin unlocked the car doors. "Since we believe Minho hyung has neither the knowledge, nor the experience to such field, we are leaving you with Changbin hyung to prep your hair while we're looking for the gift. I'll pick you up in 45 minutes," he specified.

"Fair enough. Let's go, cat mom." Changbin opened the door and shoved Minho out of the car, then went outside as well. "Go find the prettiest one!"

"We will!" Seungmin waved his goodbye. The car soon left, leaving Changbin and Minho alone.

"Come on." Changbin pulled the hem of his shirt as he walked into the hair salon.

Parents in law. The words stuck in Minho's head longer than he would like it to be. Perhaps he was still drown in his oceans of overthinking.

Spending the rest of his 45 minutes of his life in a hair salon, Minho wasted his time hallucinating himself and Jisung getting married and have cat children for the rest of their lives. Even Changbin looked at him weirdly from the way Minho's eyes resembled a person who's high on LSD. That boy must've ascended to heaven in Changbin's mind.

Exactly like predicted, Minho looked handsome. Not just handsome handsome, but more handsome handsome handsome. He had his forehead exposed after years of hiding behind his bangs, along with a few strands of hair that was let loose. Due to his newly styled hair, his earrings which was a gift from Jisung for graduating high school, appeared to be more alluring. They looked better than Kim Kardashian's earrings.

By the time Minho witnessed his own full reflection, he almost had tears running from his eyes because he was blinded by his own beauty. (y/n) definitely can't relate.

After getting a call from Felix, saying that they're near the hair salon, Changbin stood up from the sofa to escort his ex classmate, Minho. Boy, he wasn't prepared to get slapped on the face with unconditional beauty.

He couldn't possibly approach Minho in a humanly distance due to his qualities that delight and pleases the senses; attractive; excellent; wonderful; very satisfying and pleasing to look at. Extremely, inappropriately beautiful in every angle.

"Dang, darn, Holy Mary-Mother of Jesus, oh hell and Jesus help me Holy Ghost. The F-word was considered illiterate, trashy and low class. We were not allowed to use foul words because it was referred to as being poor bred and unladylike." Changbin breathed out. "You're so handsome, there's no way Jisung's man pussy can handle your beauty without getting drenched alive."

Perhaps Felix's influence was too strong for Changbin in terms of applying the correct vocabularies into a coherent sentence.

"Changbin?" Minho turned his head in confusion.

Changbin snapped back to reality. "Yes, Hyunjin's car is waiting for us."

"Okay."

Both the driver and the passengers weren't expecting Minho to be that pretty, they had to take a stop every once in a while to catch their breath before eventually arrived at the destination.

"You're late," said Bambam with a judging gaze. He opened the side door for them to enter without gaining attention.

"Sorry." Minho scratched his neck, nervous. Bambam wasn't the type to get irritated, unless he's in his man period.

To prevent anymore trouble, they silently entered the massive building in awe. They couldn't help themselves but felt like peasants trespassing a vampire nobleman's property. It felt wrong in many ways.

The venue was huge, too huge. It wasn't completely indoor, more precisely semi outdoor. The ceiling was high, but so as the garden in which they could see from their point of view in each seats. The decorations were simple; peony flowers surrounded with green everywhere, not to mention the picturesque backdrop. It has the vibe of an 11th-century's villa. Perfect for couples like Jisung's parents who envisioned old world romance for their wedding day.

Minho wished to sit next to Jisung. However, the boy had things to do. Besides, it's his parents' wedding day. Jisung worked as the wedding planner, alongside with a professional wedding planner in order to achieve such perfect result. Minho's heart felt warm when he first heard Jisung's enthusiasm in arranging the perfect wedding.

Jumin had a big name in the business and entrepreneur world. No wonder he brought many guests to his marriage, though there weren't as many people as Minho would've imagined, yet that's the essence of a private wedding.

The media was filled with congratulatory messages to the married couple. Ever since the world believed Jumin had been married before in private and had Jisung, society believed it was a remarriage because Jumin made it seem like so. When in reality he had never marry anyone until now.

After the usual wedding ritual, the wedding invites scrambled their way to the dining hall. At long last, Minho could see Jisung up close and asked him to sit beside him.

"Busy, aren't you, Mister wedding planner?" Minho teased, earning a light smack from the younger.

"Shut up." Jisung blushed, lips pouting. "Hyung, you're so hot." Jisung eyed him from head to toes. He's perfect.

"Look who's talking," he flattered.

If he said Jisung looked mediocre, it would be a lie. The word 'expensive' was an understatement. The boy was wearing a Brioni's customized suit paired with Christian Louboutin's leather shoes. If Jisung was already that expensive, then his parents' clothing must've costed more. Only thinking about the amount of zeros on the price tag made him dizzy.

They both sit next to each other as they ate together. As expected, the feast was insane. The Han's family never disappoints. Their friends also enjoyed the food, especially because it's free food. Blessings like this doesn't come very often.

Upon grabbing his plate of food, Felix found his chance to tell an important matter to his best friend. "Bro, we bought sex toys for your parents. We even chose the kitten edition for their satisfaction," he whispered in secret, making sure nobody else leaked this information.

"That's sick. Bro, you're awesome." Jisung's eyes sparked. That reaction definitely wasn't what Minho had in mind.

"Thank Seungmin." He nudged his shoulder. "You should treat us on a vacation to Maldives sometimes."

"I'll keep that in mind," he assured. His gave him a thumbs up in return.

They continued eating in silence. While they're eating, the newly wedded couple gave each other a heart-warming message to showcase their love towards one another. Everyone paid attention to their words. Somehow, Minho's heart felt warm by hearing their speech. Each words were sweet like honey, some parts were sad, but the words were wrapped nicely in a way that Minho found it wholesome.

He was okay until he heard Jumin's speech. For someone like Minho, he still underestimated Jumin's ability in a non-business kind of speech only to be proven wrong.

"I don't know whether I've said this before, but allow me to say it once again. To be honest I never believed that people can change, but I have changed so much inside these past few days, months, and years with you more than I have ever in my whole life," said Jumin. "The more I spend time with you, the more I will change and I will feel amazingly happy. I can't wait for the future with you."

Everyone clapped their hands proudly. They thought Jumin was finished, when he's yet to announce his closing sentence.

"Throughout my life I realize how many great people are there around me. I received more than I deserve. A wonderful family, successful business, unforgettable friends, and even cats. As you already know, I had Elizabeth the 2nd and Elizabeth the 3rd. However for me, you will always be the first. Let's restart a new life together in which we won't regret in the far future."

The guests once again erupted in loud claps, congratulating the newlyweds. Meanwhile Minho was struggling alone to hold back his tears or else he would ruin his make up.

Time flew faster than 3Racha's rap line. When the two thought they could spend a good memory in that place together, they had to suffer more due to Jumin's popularity. Out of nowhere, Jumin's friends started coming to them as if they're old friends.

"Hey, my name is Zen and I'm sexually attracted to myself." The one with long, silver hair shook Jisung's hand before coming for Minho.

"Nice to know that," Jisung lied. He didn't do anything wrong to be punished with this TMI.

Another one opened his eyes widely. "Jisung-meow! I miss you so much," cried the one with orange hair.

Jisung didn't expect to meet him again. "S-seven?" he stuttered. "Why are you dressed like a nun?"

Seven chuckled. "To show my devotion to God, like a virgin."

Before Jisung could interfere, that Zen guy returned. "That trust fund kid can actually be romantic. I can't believe his words touched my soul," he admitted. "Hey, do you want to know my favorite quote?"

"Sure." Jisung nodded. He had practically given up at this point.

"You can love somebody, and when you love somebody, you never forget them," he stated.

This time Seven interrupted. "My parents forgot me in a parking lot once." He took back his own words. "Never mind, I forgot my parents hate me. Haha."

What the fuck is happening? Minho got himself stuck in the middle of a conversation he's not familiar with.

That Seven guy seemed way too enthusiastic for Minho's liking. "By the way Jisung-meow, I'm still sad about Ellie's death. If only I can play with her once more." He jumped to another topic after faking a cry. "I'm supposed to get married first before Jumin. He's always ahead."

Out of nowhere, a girl showed up behind him. "Hello, I'm MC, Saeyoung's fiancé. You must be Jisung and Minho."

"How can you know me?" Minho's eyes widened in fear. "And who's Saeyoung?" Poor boy, he kept getting lost in the crowd. If he knew Seven was a hacker, he wouldn't be so lost.

MC laughed. "Oops, my bad. I forgot I'm supposed to call him Seven."

Seven pouted his lips. "Since we're all getting to know each other, lemme introduce you to my twin brother!" He pulled a shy looking boy from the seat. He's wearing a nice magenta suit unlike Seven's nun outfit. "This is my twin brother, Choi Saeran. He's the guy who killed Jumin's ex boyfriend."

"I'm Saeran, Saeyoung's brother." He looked down, ashamed of himself.

Jisung started to get nervous. "No offense, but why is he here?"

Seven only scratched his nape. "I kidnapped him from the mental hospital, so he can attend this wedding."

Jisung and Minho didn't know how deep the conversation's going to be. Thank goodness, Felix came at the right time to save them all without any casualty.

"Do you guys want cheese sticks? They're delicious." He offered the cheese sticks to each people, then began talking about global warming and Korea's politics. The adults instantly fell over Felix's distraction and soon left the two.

Everyone including Jisung thought Felix was dumb. From this experience they concluded that Felix was actually smart, yet he kept his knowledge deep inside his brain just for this kind of situation. That alone was a miracle.

"What just happened?" Minho shuddered.

"I don't know, let's just go outside." With that being said, they walked outside to the garden. They took a lot of pictures there because they couldn't miss this opportunity. Scenery this good doesn't come very often.

The sunlight radiated an abundance of warmth for the couple to dive in. The slight sounds of wind brushing against the nature, blowing around everywhere. In their field of view, they could easily capture the picturesque scenery as their backdrop.

Minho got carried away. Seeing Jisung's hair moving according to the wind's movement, the clearer his vision became. He's beautiful; absolutely, undoubtedly beautiful.

Carefully, Minho brushed the side of Jisung's blue hair to his right ear. "Can I kiss you?" Consent matters, his mind said.

Jisung smiled so wide, he could see his teeth. "Not now, Hyung. Maybe later."

"Is it because there's people here?" Although they felt like they owned the world, they're still not alone. There were people taking pictures here and there, much to their discomfort.

"Yeah," Jisung admitted, his cheeks flushed red. "Sometimes Hyung can be a little rough, which can cause a problem for my Brioni suit." At this moment, Jisung wanted to jump off a cliff out of embarrassment.

"You're cornering me too much," he groaned, "you forgot to say that you don't wanna ruin my perfect hair since you tend to pull my hair when we're kissing."

The lovebirds wouldn't stop bickering over each other's kissing habit, they might start a war. Their heated argument faded soon enough, thankfully, due to having someone's prying laughter midway.

"It's a beautiful day to die, isn't it?"

"Eunwoo," they greeted. Eunwoo smiled in response. Him too, was giddy as ever.

"Why am I always so busy," he complained. Jisung and Minho chuckled upon hearing his first complaint.

Jisung tried to cheer him up. "It's because you're important, dumbass."

"I know. You can't even live without me," he mused. His hands automatically made their way to Jisung's tie. He fixed the asymmetrical curves which had been bothering him while he watched him from outside.

Watching Eunwoo's perfectionist side overtook him, it's hard to tell that he almost died before. After the incident that occurred two years ago, Eunwoo suffered in a comma for a long time. Back then, he lost a lot blood, to the point that Elizabeth had to secretly sneaked to the hospital for blood donation purposes. She kept it a secret at that time due to the fact that people would forbid her to do so, since everyone's so overprotective towards her.

The day when Eunwoo opened his eyes, Minho couldn't exactly describe the look on Jisung's face. His eyes glistened like he was about to cry, but he didn't. That moment itself was so precious, it meant a lot for everyone.

Jisung still remembered the first sentence coming out from Eunwoo after his long period of comma.

"I promise someone not to die."

Only one sentence, six words, 23 letters could make Jisung burst into tears. Though it was a cry of gratitude, the scar remained there, opened.

Ever since that incident, Eunwoo never laid his hands on a car or any moving vehicle. The trauma was too unbearable for him, he even resigned from being a driver. For Jisung, having Eunwoo breathe the same air as him was more than enough. Eunwoo still worked as his personal assistant, but he refused to drive a car. Understandable enough for him.

Not to mention Minho had gotten closer to the workers at the Han's mansion. He already memorized everyone's names, jobs, even their shifts. His favorite one's certainly Bambam, whereas his least favorite one's Jaehee. She's too strict in his opinion, no wonder she worked straight under Jumin.

Soon after, they were met with their own friends. They all looked super happy as usual, it put a smile on Jisung's face. He missed his seniors.

"Where's Chan hyung?" Jeongin asked.

"That's weird coming from you." Jisung squinted his eyes. "He's talking with the adults. You know, business stuff. He's an adult too now."

"Talking about Chan hyung, look who's coming," Felix snickered. "Yo!"

"Hey guys." His eyes traveled from person to person. "Eh, Chunhua? You're not coming with your boyfriend?"

"We broke up," she stated.

"Why, though? You guys are cute together."

Chunhua was about to explode. "I know right! His parents hate me for no reason and I can't do anything about it."

Jisung nodded in understatement. However, he noticed a missing guest. "Where's Walmart?"

"She's sick," Chunhua answered.

"It's a shame the whole squad can't come together," said Seungmin, clearly dissatisfied. "Next time someone's having a party, whether it's a wedding party, birthday party, or whatever, I'm bringing Fox Army. The whole squad," he explained. It seemed like Seungmin's manager heart couldn't take incomplete reunions like this.

"The teachers too?" Chan's eyes widened.

"Yes," he emphasized.

Regardless of the situation, the incomplete squad spent most of their times talking like they used to be. Despite being older and more mature, they're all still the same Straight Kids who performed their own song in front of a big crowd with weird costumes at the school's festival. They would always be the same crackheads.

As they should.

┉┉

For the next couple of days, Jisung often found himself chilling at Minho's house. Not that he hated that big ass mansion, more like he felt like he needed to visit Minho's place, especially knowing his parents were on their honeymoon doing whatever they desired.

Contrary to Jumin and Elizabeth's wedding day, the weather wasn't as good as it was then. It's raining cats and dogs outside, therefore they decided to lock themselves in Minho's bedroom, eating two cups of ramen. They sat by the window peacefully, watching the rain dropped while shoving hot ramen to their mouth.

"Sung-ie," Minho called, calm like the river.

"What is it, Hyung?" Eyes glued to the food.

"Do you want to buy a new cat?"

Surprisingly that idea never crossed Jisung's head. "I wonder..." His mind wandered as well. "Maybe no."

"Really? I thought you may want more companions." His answer didn't match with his expectation.

Jisung shrugged. "Why should I? I have you." His face inched closer to Minho's flustered face.

"Sung-ie, you're getting good at this." Their faces were so close, he could smell Jisung's ramen's breath due to the closeness.

Jisung pursed his mouth into a self satisfied smirk. "I learn from the best," he whispered, "that person also taught me how to kiss someone properly." Without further ado, he connected their lips. Despite having the ramen breath lingering, they advanced the kiss in the slowest way as possible.

Because the slower the kiss goes, the longer it lasts. That way your heart will race more in anticipation. Minho taught him that.

Kissing on a rainy day. It brought back many memories, but mostly, it reminded them of their first kiss they did intentionally. The atmosphere was the same as if it happened yesterday.

"Life" is like a weather; cloudless, raining, snowing. Anything can happen. What about an umbrella? I keep holding one, so let's get under it together.

Like kittens, they're still sensitive. Most of the times they get excited. They love to play with whatever things they can meddle with. Nonetheless, they're afraid of rain. The rush of cold water falling from the sky feels too unfamiliar, it's different from the warmth of being touched. Kittens are fragile beings, that's why they love amity.

Kittens are living beings too, therefore they need companion.

"Thanks for saving me." Jisung finished the kiss with a tight embrace.

"Shut up, that's gay."

┉┉

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END. THANKS FOR READING :)

**Author's Note:**

> Also to remind you that this is categorized as Alternate Universe (AU) fan fiction. I use characters from Stray Kids, other KPOP artists, game characters, and my own Original Character (OC) that I created to make the story more interesting. Please remember that most characters are not mine, I don't own these idols, and I have no bad intentions whatsoever. I don't mean any harm or intended to discriminate the artists used in this fic by all means. I wholeheartedly support and respect them.


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